Helen Salisbury: A poor plan for patients

A new plan for the NHS was unveiled last week by the recently appointed secretary of state for health and social care, Thérèse Coffey.1 The service faces huge backlogs and a workforce crisis, so we’re ready to welcome any measures that might relieve the pressure. Sadly, Our Plan for Patients is long on rhetoric but short on detail, regarding what the health secretary will actually change.There are admirable ambitions to empower patients and improve outcomes, but it’s not clear how any of them will be achieved. Where’s the detail in the promise of 7000 extra beds this winter? The NHS in England currently has 47 000 nurse vacancies,2 so the immediate and obvious question is, “Staffed by whom?” There’s an emphasis on improving productivity, but a friend of mine has commented that she’s already doing the work of two nurses, so I don’t know how much more can be squeezed…
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