David Oliver: Coffey’s inadequate plan for health and social care

Thérèse Coffey, England’s new secretary of state for health and social care, has set out the details of her plan to improve NHS performance. I tuned in to hear her statement to the House of Commons and was disappointed but not surprised by the empty, wholly inadequate, unrealistic nature of her proposals.1Regarding the elective care backlog, Coffey at least admitted that the numbers of people waiting would rise before coming back down. She plans to accelerate some of the milestones and actions in the existing elective recovery plan from 2021, specifically mentioning an increase in community diagnostic hubs and new hospitals—although I’m not sure what part the latter will play in tackling today’s backlog. And there’s considerable doubt about the government’s pledge of “40 new hospitals by 2030.” Apart from a plan to review the pension tax rules that deter senior doctors from taking on additional clinical sessions, Coffey’s proposals…
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