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NHS/Health week - Coggle Diagram
NHS/Health week
Current health situation
Waiting lists
Historical
Waiting lists for elective care have reached record high levels 7.57m in England [4], this follows a steep increase from the pandemic as well as a shallower increase from 2010 of waiting lists [5].
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Staffing
Pay disputes
The government has failed to deal with consultant and junior doctor strikes that have begun taking their toll on the health service. Over 800,000 appointments have been cancelled since the start of the strikes in December [8]. The government has offered a 6% pay rise, but the doctors are demanding 35% pay rise to counter loss of pay over the last 14 years.
Number of doctors
In 2021 England had the 4th lowest number of doctors per 1,000 people (the UK is third lowest) within the OECD, within secondary care medical vacinces make up 7.2% of all medical posts and the situation is worse in nursing where the rate is over 10% [6]. There has been an increase in the number secondary care doctors of 4.7% between 2022 and 2023, but it remains to be seen weather these increases can help deal with increasing demand and the backlog [7].
Solutions
Government
Strikes
The government is taking a hard line on the issue refusing to up the current pay off that is on the table (6%), this was the offer the pay review body [9].
One of Sunak's 5 key pledges is to cut the NHS waiting times, they are doing this by:
The government is increasing funding to the NHS so that by 2024 the NHS budget will reach £165.9bn [10]
The government is comitted to building 40 new hospitals by 2030 and many more community centres and are pushing for the recruitment of more doctors through the oppening of more medical school places [11].
However, the government is not on track to hit their hospital building targets with them only finishing 32 of the 40 pledged, there are also fears that, as the governemnt tightens its belt, that these hospitals will be built too small [12].
Labour
Labour have made vague commitments to increasing funding with Starmer saying "I’ve run a public service – I know that money makes a difference.", but there are few direct figures. Labour want to increase innovation and the use of technology within the NHS as well as increasing NHS training. They plan on funding this through the scrapping of the non-dom tax status. Labour also plan on expanding community health care [13]. Labour have not laid out concrete plans for the strikes.