An Edge Debate hosted by the Danish Embassy in London.

There have been new and radical recent policy decisions in UK and Danish healthcare as different approaches to the common problems both health systems face - how to square the circle of rising demand, rising cost and diminishing funding.

In Denmark hard won productivity gains have been achieved and it is now hoped that it will be possible to scale this up in an enormous hospital building programme — the largest construction project in Denmark since church construction in the Middle Ages.

In the UK, the hospitals have been built and it is now proposed to scale this back by giving financial control to the newly formed clinical commissioning groups in the hope that more ‘hospital’ services can be provided at a local (cheaper) level and further efficiencies can be achieved from being able to source from private and well as public providers.

Given that both countries have common problems, are starting at different ends of the spectrum and are moving towards each other what can we learn from each other?

Venue: Danish Embassy, 55 Sloane Street London SW1X 9SR

Host:
Anne Hedensted Steffensen - Her Excellency the Danish Ambassador in London

Chair:
Sunand Prasad - PPRIBA, Penoyre & Prasad

Speakers:
Pia Olsen-Dyhr - Danish Minister for Trade and Investment
Sir Muir Gray – Chief Knowledge Officer to the NHS
Paul Westbury - Chief Executive, Buro Happold
Marlene Willemann Würgler - Centre for Health Technology, Business and Regional Development, Danish Regions
Teva Hesse - CF Møller Architects