Could lessons have been drawn from New Zealand for England’s NHS reforms?

Abstract

This article argues that New Zealand (NZ) could be an important case for drawing health system reform lessons from for the English National Health Service. Reasons for this are outlined, including the close similarities between the two countries and their health systems. The article describes the diverging health reform agendas of conservative governments in both countries, noting a series of lessons for England that might have been drawn from NZ. Explanations for the differing reform agendas are then offered.

Keywords:

• health system reforms
• English NHS
• New Zealand
• comparison
• alliance governance

Acknowledgements

Some of the material in this article was presented to audiences in a series of London lectures given by the author when he was NZ–UK Link Foundation Visiting Professor, School of Advanced Study, University of London, in 2014. The author is enormously grateful to the Foundation and the University of London for their support, and to feedback received from the lectures. He also wishes to thank the journal’s peer reviewers for useful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 This article focuses on the English NHS only, which was the subject of the 2012 reforms. The broader NHS also includes Ireland, Scotland and Wales.