The inconvenient truths of health and climate crises that can’t ȷust be ignored

The campaign to elect the UK’s next prime minister is dominated by competing pledges to cut taxes (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1726).1 The candidates seem intent on pretending that covid has gone away (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1779, doi:10.1136/bmj.o1780),23 acting as if our plans to tackle the climate emergency are on track (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1741, doi:10.1136/bmj.o1772),45 and ignoring the real funding, staffing, and infrastructure challenges facing the NHS.Current workforce gaps are equivalent to 110 000 full staff in NHS trusts in England and 100 000 in adult social care (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1726).1 More than half of advertised consultant physician posts in England and Wales went unfilled last year (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1782).6 The campaign group EveryDoctor has called for urgent talks with medical unions and the General Medical Council to tackle “unacceptable” working conditions (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1773).7As the NHS struggles with workforce pressures and the need to tackle elective care waiting lists, hospital admissions caused by covid are once again rising and disrupting services. Alastair McLellan and…
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