Press Secretary, Dr Peter Daw, asks the question ‘are our NHS and social care systems broken?
On September 20, Evesham Labour Party’s most recent Drinks and Debate meeting discussed the question ‘are our NHS and social care systems broken?’.
It is surely a sobering that in one of the richest countries in the world we even need to pose the question.
Yet if, as is often said, a country’s level of civilisation can be judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens, then we are currently heading backwards nearly a hundred years.
A retired GP observed in the discussion that the health service we now have is already unrecognisable when compared to the vision of the Post-War Labour Government which set up the National Health Service in the teeth of opposition by vested interests.
Over the last two years a restructuring of the NHS has occurred, with very little media scrutiny.
Integrated Care Boards and Partnerships have been established which set no clear limits on the role of private providers in the provision or commissioning of care and no real public accountability beyond a vague requirement for ‘securing transparency’.
Meanwhile,, the social care situation provides a clear warning of what a largely privatised sector actually looks like – poor wages, low morale, chronic recruitment difficulties, unacceptably varied standards and weak regulation – yet generating large profits for shareholders, such as hedge funds.
At the meeting, and at the Offenham Labour Gazebo, the sad reality of people’s experience of both social care and health services locally was only too evident.
Growing waiting lists, absence of NHS provision in key areas forcing people to ‘go private’ or face long journeys; no NHS dentists; long waits for GP appointments; lack of continuity in social care staffing – all those featured and much more.
These are all evidence of a broken system.
It is clear the next election will be about how caring and civilised a country we aspire to be.
Should already wealthy companies and individuals benefit disproportionately from ill-advised tax cuts or should they contribute a fairer share to maintaining health services for all, irrespective of income and good reliable social care for the vulnerable and elderly in our society.
We have the resources to mend our broken health and social care services and at the Labour conference clear, costed proposals for improvement were presented.
But voters also have the power to smash them further. The choice could not be clearer!
Dr Peter Daw
Press Secretary, Mid Worcestershire CLP & Evesham Labour Party
Letter first published in the 20th October 2022 Evesham Journal