Still 'On a Wing and a Prayer'?

Chris Whitty (England's Chief Medical Officer) has notes that a future pandemic 'as big as Covid19 is inevitable'. This 'relevation' was made at the country's incredibly drawn-out Covid19 inquiry. A future pandemic is clearly always 'on the cards'. What was more striking, however, was his view that the UK's relative lack of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) was a 'political choice' (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/26/future-pandemic-as-big-as-covid-is-inevitable-says-whitty). On a per capita basis, the UK has fewer ICUs than other developed countries. Buildings, beds and equipment can be supplied relatively quickly (although that wasn't the case in the pandemic). The training (and retention) of specialist nurses and doctors, however, takes much longer. The UK appears to have developed an aversion to paying for emergency provisions. Being not continually in use, seems to count against them. A reflection of the UK's World War 2 'on a wing and prayer' ethos?