Kicking off a major ongoing project on the future of the National Health Service, the hour-long debate will take place on Thursday, live from University Hospital Coventry.

It begins at 7pm and will be hosted by Sky News presenter Anna Botting alongside a special panel.

A shortage of doctors, nurses and beds means waiting lists are at record highs.

Even before the COVID pandemic, NHS performance targets - including ambulance and A&E waiting times - were already getting worse.

Add to that the ever-growing wave of NHS strikes, along with the relationship between healthcare and social care, and the health service is shaping up to be one of the big political battlegrounds of the year.

But it's a difficult area for politicians to discuss openly.

So, over the course of 2023, Sky News will be examining all areas of the health service to make an independent assessment of the state of the NHS and come up with suggestions for how it could be improved, using lessons from across the country and comparisons from around the world.

If you would like to be a member of the live studio audience for Can The NHS Survive?, please apply here.

You can also call this number now if you want to take part in a phone-in: 020 8167 2200.

If you are an NHS worker and would like to share your experiences with us anonymously, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.