At Labour conference, the governing party held a seminar entitled “How to Save 25 million GP Appointments: The role of self-care in delivering an NHS fit for the future”.
Who needs NHS doctors?
Private consumer health giant Haleon sponsored the session. And Labour has so far failed to commit to the health spending the NHS needs. Funding the NHS’ Long Term Workforce Plan would cost around an extra £20bn more than manifesto commitments from Labour.
To be sure, prevention strategies can ease pressure on the NHS. But starving the NHS of funding while claiming one can replace 25 million GP appointments with ‘self care’ is a concerning combination. France spends £40bn (or 21%) more annually on public healthcare than the UK, when taking into account population size. It has a lower GDP per person.
Labour’s lack of funding, also inherited from the Conservatives, has key material impacts. The UK has a very low number of hospital beds, at 2.43 per 1,000 people. Meanwhile, France has over double with 5.73. And Germany (albeit with a higher GDP per person) has 7.82.
The UK is also low on doctors per 1,000 people, at 3.21. Some of the highest are in Austria at 5.45 and Norway at 5.18.
When it comes to capital investment, the UK further lags behind European countries. If the UK spent the same as the average investment of 14 EU countries in technology and buildings, we’d have spent £33bn more between 2010 and 2019.
Spending less with the same outcomes is of course beneficial: that shows a more efficient use of resources and expertise. But it’s clear from the waiting times, amount of doctors and hospital beds that this isn’t the case. Indeed, UK people with unmet care needs are among the highest in Europe. That’s despite having less people over 80 as a percentage of the population than in countries like France and Germany.
Just treat yourself!
So do Keir Starmer and health secretary Wes Streeting want to make up for these shortfalls with so-called ‘self care’? And with profit-driven companies like Haleon seeking to make shareholder cash from diverting people from NHS treatment?
Fund it properly.
Featured image via Guardian News – YouTube
