‘Waiting lists can be eliminated: a potential turning point for the NHS with the NRRP and community homes’

But can they be reset to zero?

My hope is to be able to say one day that the country has overcome the problem of waiting lists, which is a priority for this Government and for Minister Schillaci. This can be achieved through a number of measures that are well within our reach. Today, the general perception is that the queues are linked to insufficient resources and a shortage of staff. No one disputes these issues. But the problem can be resolved, first and foremost, through better planning of healthcare provision and, above all, by reducing demand, given that at least 20 per cent of prescriptions – peaking at 40 per cent – are inappropriate: in practice, one in four is unnecessary, and these are the primary cause of waiting lists. In this regard, for example, artificial intelligence can assist GPs and support them with prescribing. Finally, there is another aspect, namely that not all requests for treatment need to go through the CUP.

For example?

An elderly person who needs to renew their treatment plan and attend a cardiology appointment should be identified by the system – for example, through community care homes or by the new family nurse, who books the appointment for them directly. At present, there is too much fragmentation.

Are there services available in community homes?

There is certainly a great deal to be done, and there is a risk that some services may be missing or that existing services are simply being provided under a new name. But these are not empty shells. The challenge is to envisage them as new spaces where more professionals coordinate their work in the patient’s best interests.

But GPs are reluctant to work with it.

I believe that before long, doctors themselves will be saying that they want to be part of community care centres, because those who remain in their isolated practices are bound to be left out of this new system of care, where services work together. It will be a natural process if they want to remain key players in primary care.

From electronic health records to telemedicine: where does digital healthcare stand?

The scheme is now fully operational and will support citizens at all times. Telemedicine needs to be made more visible: we have just funded 58 projects that will provide home care for 60,000 elderly people. These are scalable projects that can subsequently be rolled out across the system. The pace of change will be rapid: in a couple of years’ time, we will have a different healthcare system in which all regions work with interoperable systems, following the same rules. One thing is certain: the time has come to act as a unified system and all move in the same direction.