Waiting lists, inflation, and an ageing population - what should our new health secretary do to save our NHS?
Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle in November saw “divisive” health secretary Steve Barclay succeeded by Victoria Atkins.
She has inherited a deteriorating NHS and endless responsibility. As NHS workers campaign louder than ever against the destitution of this service, Atkins’ actions will fall under rightfully heavy scrutiny. Her task in saving the NHS is mountainous, the stakes of her actions integral to political capital, fair treatment of workers and thousands of human lives.
How could Victoria Atkins remedy the chronic deterioration of the NHS? What would it take?
Primarily, and predictably, what the NHS needs more than anything is a vast amount of financial investment. Yet this prospect is vastly idealistic as the economy smoulders in the ashes of a pandemic, a war, and the poor economic policy throughout Brexit. The government lacks policy to counteract this; every public service is suffering some funding deficit. An estimated £8 billion each year on top of our current NHS spending is necessary to keep up with the challenges of waiting lists, inflation, and an ageing population.
Ultimately, every potential solution requires significant financial investment. Investment that does not simply ease short-term symptoms of systematic failure but targets the structural fractures the NHS must resolve.
A focus on keeping people out of hospital is an integral example of long-term investment. Along with policy combatting preventable illness, making the diagnostic process as efficient as possible is the most important way to prevent thousands of excess deaths each year- over 20% of deaths in 2019 and 2020 were avoidable. It is a heartbreaking betrayal how many deaths late diagnosis has contributed to - which is why Atkins should demand the provision of more diagnostic equipment. With technology capable of saving many lives, this should not be wasted by failure to invest in it.
Reform in staffing is also paramount. Reducing tuition fees and increasing pay for doctors and nurses would entice people to adopt these professions. If the government continues to severely mistreat their "heroes,” future scarcities in staffing are inevitable. Compared to other countries, we also spend little on management, resulting in less cohesive functioning and staff having to focus on managerial work rather than their own jobs.
Finally, adequate social care for society’s most vulnerable would reduce the amount of hospital beds used simply because there is nowhere else for the individual to go. This would be more humane for elderly people sent to care homes rather than kept unnecessarily in a cruel hospital environment whilst mitigating the excruciating backlog that causes a heart attack victim to have to wait an average of an hour and a half for the emergency services.
The obligation to avoid countless deaths in the NHS now belongs to Victoria Atkins. She must take action to save our NHS. We can only hope that she reads the King Eds Student Newspaper.