The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) has renewed its call for cross-party collaboration on plans for the health and social care.
DAUK’s GP committee said plans needed to be taken out of politics after Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an independent commission to reform adult social care.
Dr Steve Taylor, DAUK GP spokesperson, said that announcing another report suggested a lack of planning by the Labour Government.
He said: “The Government seems to have come into power with no formed ideas ready to implement, with social care being the latest example.
“During the years they had to prepare for government, there has been plenty of reports evidencing the problems. Another commission or report will tell us what we already know.
Lack of plan
“Sadly a lack of a plan seems to be the message we are getting.
“Even worse, the one that has been implemented so far, in the National Insurance employer contributions, has not been thought through leading to higher costs for social care, charities and GP services.
“It is time to take health and social care out of politics altogether. The five-year cycle of government is destroying the services the public needs.”
DAUK’s comments follow the announcement of the independent commission, which will be led by the cross-bench peer Louise Casey and split into two phases.
The first phase will identify critical issues and recommend medium-term improvements and will report by mid-2026.
Phase two will look at how to organise care services and fund them for the future, but it will not report until 2028.
Concerns
Elsewhere, a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the PA news agency found that more than eight in 10 people said they have concerns about the health service overall, with half not confident the Government’s plans for the NHS will lead to improvements in the next five years.
The chief concerns were: A&E waiting times (68%); as well as long waits for GP appointments (63%); planned hospital appointments (62%) and ambulances (62%). About half of those with concerns said they are worried about the workload on healthcare staff (52%) and the quality of care being delivered (49%). Some 38% said they have concerns about the NHS’s ability to recruit staff, while a third said they were worried about the wellbeing of existing workers.
Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK vice chair, said leaders with a proven background in health care should be appointed to focus on solutions that work for the NHS.
Dr Welch said: “We have been calling for some time for a cross-party collaboration on the NHS.
“It needs a dedicated group of leaders who can make long and short-term plans for our health service that are not dependent on party politics.
Solutions
“Every time the government changes we have reviews and reforms which feel very much like deckchairs being shuffled on the Titanic.
“Appoint people with a proven background in healthcare and NHS leadership who know the pressure points and can adopt solutions for the good of the service, rather than schemes that focus on grabbing votes and headlines.”
Please support our work by becoming a member or donating to our Go Fund Me.
