It is winter and the newspapers and TV are awash with stories of the Health Service in crisis.

A familiar refrain and despite all the publicity it remains a winter staple. What has gone wrong with our health service?

The patients caught up in the queue of trolleys in hospital corridors are understandably discontent at the level of service.

But for the most part the doctors and nurses and myriad of health professionals deliver a great service to the countless thousands who attend for treatment each year.

But for how much longer? Rising public expectations are running ahead of the capacity of the health service to deliver.

An ageing population is one reason for the rising demand. Life expectancy has grown at an astonishing rate over the past 70 years.

Frail old age comes with a host of problems that modern medicine can treat if not cure. An indicator of the degree of medical interventions is that for people over 50 the average number of pills taken in the morning is four.

GP practices are finding it harder to recruit newly qualified doctors. It is no longer seen as being an attractive option.

The pressure that they are being put under is not good for their health and well being.

The number of GP consultations per year made by the average patient has doubled over the past decade.

The integration of Social Care and the health service is a pointer to the changes that need to be made.

Public service organisations need to work more closely together to find better ways to deliver services. Radical change is required to make services fit and sustainable in the 21st century.

Services will need to shift the focus from treatment and more towards prevention. It is not sustainable to throw more money at meeting ever rising demand.

The fire service has shown the way for many years by focusing on prevention of fires rather than just putting ever more fires out.

Education is waking up to the idea that early intervention is a key part of bridging the attainment gap.

The police are recognising that engaging with difficult youths is the best way to steer them away from a lifetime of crime.

The big health issues of diabetes, obesity, alcohol and drug misuse need to be tackled by society at large if we are to avert the collapse of the health service.