It appears that the NHS is no longer on it’s knees, but it’s lying on it’s back with it’s legs in the air waiting to die.

Not only are nurses and Junior doctor’s leaving for greener pastures, and better salaries, so are many other staff both professional and ancillary. BUT it is not just due to the poor wages, but the working conditions, and pressure placed upon them by the management and the public in general.

The government seems to be blaming anything from the COVID pandemic to NHS staff, for the shortages and the waiting lists, and keeps reiterating the fact that the NHS is having more money spent on it now than in any previous period in History.

What they do not seem prepared to admit is that many of the current shortages are caused by the years of austerity that preceded the pandemic and BREXIT.

Due to Brexit, many of the foreign nurses and care workers left the UK and returned to their countries of origin. This was partly, but not only, due to the difficulties in getting the correct documentation processed to remain in the UK, but also due to the way they were made to feel not wanted by the increased intimidation and racism that has occurred since the BREXIT vote.

The government states that the NHS doesn’t need any more money, but just needs a complete reorganisation from top to bottom, but it does not come up with any new ideas on what changes should be made!

Well here are a few suggestions from me:-

  1. Cut down on the number of higher managers and replace them with people with medical experience who actually know what it is like to work on the front-line.
  2. Create a nursing agency run by and for the NHS, made up of trained staff that are prepared to work at any location in a given area. Yes this would involve giving them extra pay for the inconvenience of the travelling involved, but this has to be cheaper than the current wages paid to Agency staff.
  3. A new NHS run social care register, that can be used to monitor and manage CARE homes, community hubs, CARE staff (both voluntary and paid) and track empty accommodation and/or beds and the current location of patients and their current state of health.
  4. Changes to be made to social housing that encourages elderly people living alone in large houses to downsize and move to specially created communities where they can not only be properly looked after and cared for by trained staff, but would also allow them to socialise more with other residents. This would not only be good for both the patients physical and mental health but also help towards alleviating the current housing crisis.
  5. Increase benefits for those members of the family that are caring for relatives with health issues, so that they are are no longer penalised for caring for relatives at home. This would be monitored by the NHS Social Care Register so that it would stop unscrupulous family members that are only interested in the increased benefits rather than the welfare of the patient taking up care positions.
  6. Give NHS Volunteers minimal but meaningful expenses to cover the cost of travel and meals so that they can feel more appreciated and less ‘out of pocket’. This could also result in more people volunteering for general CARE Work.

I know there is no easy answer to the NHS crisis and that it is very complicated but the above would be a start.