The health minister has stated that the Conservatives “squandered a golden inheritance” on the National Health Service (NHS), while also laying out three “fundamental shifts” to solve the problem.
According to Wes Streeting, when the Tony Blair-led Labour government left office, the National Health Service (NHS) had the lowest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction “in the history of the NHS.”
The Conservatives have been responsible for the waste of that great inheritance over the course of the past fourteen years. In addition, they are not responsible for anything,” he further stated.
After an independent report that Mr. Streeting commissioned revealed that the National Health Service (NHS) is in a “critical condition,” with record waiting lists and an excessive amount of its cash being spent in hospitals, Mr. Streeting made these remarks.
Today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a speech in which he will warn the health service that it must “reform or die” and put out a 10-year plan to fix it. This speech will be given in response to the investigation that has been conducted.
Mr. Streeting gave a preview of what that would be like when he said that the National Health Service (NHS) needed to make three “fundamental” changes.
As part of this, there will be a “shift from hospital to community,” which will allow for earlier and more rapid diagnosis of patients; increased investments in technology to create a “digital NHS”; and effective management of illness inside the community.
He concluded by saying, “That’s why today’s report was so important, because, ironically, although it’s looking back on how we got here and diagnosing the illness, it’s actually helping us to look forward and be honest about how we got here.”
The National Health Service (NHS) is experiencing an increasing need for care as people live longer in poor health, in addition to low productivity in hospitals and bad morale among staff members, according to the findings of a study that was carried out by a peer and surgeon named Lord Darzi.
It criticises the political decision-making process that took place under the Conservatives and the coalition government, including the effects of austerity, a “starvation of investment,” and the reorganisation of the National Health Service (NHS) as a result of the Health and Social Care Act of 2012, which Lord Darzi referred to as “a calamity without international precedent.”
According to him, this indicated that the COVID epidemic originated at a time when people’s resilience was at an all-time low.
According to Mr. Streeting, the findings are comparable to the Conservatives ‘not just failing to replace the roof while the sun was shining, but effectively pouring petrol on the house, turning the gas on’.
“And then the pandemic lit the match,” he further stated.
In response to the question of how a study of such scope could be created in such a short period of time, Mr. Streeting stated that Lord Darzi had “unfettered access” to data from the Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS), as well as spoke to frontline staff, leaders, and thinktanks.
He warned that the National Health Service (NHS) would “go bust” if it was not changed, but he did not rule out the possibility of raising money through a tax on sugar or salt.
When questioned if she was embarrassed about the mess that her party left the National Health Service (NHS) in, Shadow Health Secretary Victoria Atkins responded by telling Sky News that she had “never shied away” from the challenges that the NHS was experiencing during her time in power.
Her accusation was that Labour was “trying to get headlines” by dragging out the study, and she advocated for a “proper conversation about what we do with the NHS” instead.
He finally concluded that the National Health Service (NHS) can be mended, stating that his results do not call into question “the principles of a health service that is taxpayer-funded and free at the point of use.” Lord Darzi was a former health minister for the Labour Party who later became an independent peer.
In the later part of today morning, the Prime Minister will present his proposals for “the most comprehensive reimagining of our National Health Service (NHS) since its inception.”
Although he will claim that this will not be “easy or quick,” “sticking plaster solutions” will not be sufficient.
He will make the following statement: “Working people can’t afford to pay more, so it’s reform or die.”