The UK’s National Health Service is beginning to look sicker than some of its patients. After limping through the Covid-19 pandemic, the NHS is finding the aftermath even more challenging.
The NHS is Britain’s biggest employer, with a workforce of 1.4 million and an annual budget of £180-billion. It’s often been held up as a model, delivering universal care and good results at a lower cost than other health systems around the world. Health officials had warned of a possible increase in flu cases this winter, but it is the recent rise in incidents of the bacterial infection strep A, especially among children, that has provoked a more immediate problem for the NHS and the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Critics argue that years of underfunding, compounded by the impact of the pandemic, has left the health service and many of its staff struggling. In his autumn statement Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, committed an extra £3.3-billion to the NHS budget in each of the next two years. He added that workforce shortages were one of the biggest issues facing the NHS.Many nurses believe they had little choice but to strike.
The Royal College of Nurses is demanding action over patient safety and a 19% pay rise for its members – well above inflation.
And we wonder why?