3 minute read

How to tackle the crisis in our health and care sector

from Community Magazine for Surbiton, Tolworth and Berrylands

from Community Magazine for Surbiton, Tolworth and Berrylands, page 38

Kingston Young Carers’ Project...

by Sir Edward Davey, M.P

The crisis in Britain's health and care services is rightly dominating the news. And the lack of a credible, long term plan to solve this crisis is causing mounting anger and frustration.

I'm dismayed to hear about the dreadful experiences so many people have suffered –from long delays in getting an ambulance to an inability to get a GP appointment or even an NHS dentist in some areas.

But instead of describing these multiple problems that most readers are already all too aware of, I'd like to put forward some constructive ideas of how to solve this national problem.

Local success – with lessons for elsewhere

And I'd like to start with some good news – about some great innovations and investments locally. Many parts of Kingston's NHS and care system are working well - and improving, with lessons for the rest of the country.

Don’t get me wrong: there is absolutely nothing to be complacent about in our Borough – there are still many problems, especially with health and care staff shortages, an overstretched A&E at Kingston Hospital and many over-worked GPs. But we are fortunate in having some fantastic services.

Kingston Hospital's maternity services, for example, continue to be amongst the best in the country. Yet again this well-managed unit, with brilliant consultant and midwifery teams, were independently rated "good" at the end of last year.

To tackle the local NHS waiting list backlog for operations, Kingston Hospital has been at the forefront of innovation – from increasing its day surgery cases in several areas, to reduce the number of patients who have to stay in hospital, to introducing "high intensity theatre days", where teams of doctors and nurses combine to operate safely on 3 times as many patients on one day.

We should be really proud of our local NHS staff.

More NHS staff and social care investment

So part of the solution to the current crisis is reform of Britain's health and care systems –spreading the sort of best practice and innovation we’re seeing in Kingston, far and wide.

Yet there is no escaping the urgent need for two essential extra measures too: more staff and more social care investment.

I've written several times about my passion for social care reform in the Berrylands Companion – not least, this time last year - and how social care reform is fundamental to improving our NHS. The Government’s ever-changing plans have totally failed to deliver the vital care reforms we need.

Instead today I want to focus on the central cause of today's NHS and care crisis – the shortages of staff.

A cross-party committee just last summer set out the facts: our NHS needs an additional 12,000 hospital doctors and another 50,000 nurses and midwives.

One could add we need at least another 8,000 GPs and far more paramedics. And that the shortages in care professionals for our social care sector are even greater – with 95% of care employers experiencing problems recruiting.

So it's clear: the primary focus for solving the NHS and care crisis must be more staff.

And that's why the Government's stubborn refusal to respond more constructively to the current pay dispute beggars belief.

Paying huge amounts for agency and temporary staff - while not paying decent salaries for professionals in short supply - is bad economics, bad financial management and a shocking approach to health and care policy.

Of course, there is much more that needs to be done. We need more training places for doctors. We need to sort out the crazy system of taxing doctors' pensions, which is currently leading to many highly-experienced medics quitting their jobs. And we need to ensure the visa system for people from overseas who want to work in our NHS and care sectors is fair and efficient.

This Government cannot blame anyone else but themselves for this crisis.

It is time they showed some leadership, adopted the common-sense measures that our NHS and care sector are crying out for and stopped the disaster that is unfolding on their watch.

CROSSWORD SOLUTION