The coronavirus recovery and what comes next

It is difficult to outline where we stand with the coronavirus crisis. The peak of the virus appears to be behind us, but the task ahead is no less daunting.

Health experts still fear a second wave of coronavirus, which would once again put our hospitals under unprecedented strain, especially as the winter months creep closer. With many returning to work, schools reopening and a slightly late holiday season in full swing, the lockdown restrictions of the Spring seem a distant memory.

In light of this challenge, it is more important than ever that the thought leaders and experts from across the whole healthcare sector have an input into how we get back on track and continue to provide the best possible services to those who need them most. Moving forward, we hope to give them a platform to share ideas and success stories that can help drive innovation and success across a wide range of areas.

In this issue, we tackle some of these challenges, from optimising NHS facilities post-coronavirus (page 25) to placing the climate response at the centre of a wider overall plan (page 29).

We also present a number of Panel of Expert discussions, tackling not only the pandemic recovery (page 18), but also the interoperability of IT systems (page 56) and the impact on hospital parking (page 42). As always, I hope you enjoy the issue.

Michael Lyons, editor