The Royal College of Nursing has warned the prime minister that the NHS is deteriorating rapidly on his watch.
In a week that saw Britain hit with the biggest industrial action in over a decade with an estimated half a million workers across multiple sectors on strike over disputes about pay and conditions, Rishi Sunak celebrated his first 100 days as prime minister.
As polling shows Sunak’s personal ratings are lacklustre and mediocre, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that the NHS is deteriorating rapidly on the prime minister’s watch, impacting the nation’s health and in turn the economy.
On February 2, exactly 100 days since Sunak was handed the keys to No 10, the RCN delivered a petition to Downing Street, calling for the prime minister to pay nursing staff fairly. The petition was signed by over 100,000 members of the public, as well as nursing staff and patients.
Despite promising to make the NHS one of his top priorities, according to the College, since Sunak came into office, over 10,000 patients more a month are regularly waiting over 12 hours for treatment in A&E. With just under 55,000 waiting more than 12 hours in December 2022, the situation is also much worse than it was the same time in December 21, when around 13,000 patients were kept waiting in A&E for a 12 hour period.
The RCN also notes how since Sunak became prime minister, nearly 400 extra patients on average a day have been stuck in hospital, unable to access the community care they need to return home. It claims the NHS is deteriorating rapidly under Sunak’s watch, which is impacting the nation’s health and, in turn, the economy.
Patrician Marquis, RCN director for England, says that since he took office, the prime minister has failed to deliver on his promises to the NHS and is letting it deteriorate rapidly.
“More people are waiting in A&E, more patients are stuck in hospitals unable to access the care at home they need, and bed occupancy rates remain at dangerous levels. People are also having to wait longer to access mental health services when demand has never been greater.
“Patients are not dying because nurses are striking. Nurses are striking because patients are dying.
“Our members have a mandate to take strike action for another 100 days – and the prime minister would do well to see these strikes for what they are: a warning of the need for swift action.
The RCN director for England said the prime minister is letting down the nation’s health, millions of patients, and ultimately the economy.
“An ill and untreated population cannot work and contribute to the economic recovery that everybody wants to see,” Marquis added.
Nursing staff are taking to the picket lines again this week, on February 6 and 7.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
Image credit: Creative Commons – Casino Connection
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