Concluding remarks

Demographic change and economic constraints are likely to drive change in healthcare systems over the next few decades. It seems inevitable that both the amount and the shape of healthcare systems will be stretched by increasing numbers of old people, even as the definition of ‘old age’ is itself stretched. Concepts of ‘disease’ may need to change; such changes will need to be mirrored in coding systems. As healthcare becomes more specialized, pathways become more complex. This will disadvantage people who lack the cognitive, physical, and financial resources to navigate complex systems. Specialists in healthcare public health will need to adapt their knowledge, skills, and attitudes.