My campaign for more beds in the NHS to expand capacity and help bring the waiting lists down has at last been successful. The government announced on Monday Ā£1bn more to pay for 5000 additional beds in NHS England hospitals with staff to look after patients, a 5% increase in the present total.Ā I asked the Secretary of State if more of the additional Ā£14bn also planned for the NHS could be used for further increases in capacity. With the population increasing and the elderly population increasing from greater longevity there is more demand. I will continue to press for more capacity as we need to get waiting lists and waiting times down more quickly.
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February 1, 2023
Good Morning,
But…. isn’t it the bed-blockers that need to be re-housed? Then there’d be plenty of HOSPITAL beds.
I suppose all the country-house hotels are all full of illegal migrants…
February 1, 2023
It’s a different sort of bed. That type of bed gets higher priority, clearly, and probably better food alongside it.
February 1, 2023
I am currently more interested in news of proposed changes (read concessions and compromises) around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
As Lord Frost points ācertainly the UK has entered negotiations with a weaker hand than it needed to because of the effective abandonment of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill in the Lords and the dropping of any prospect of using Article 16 of the Protocol to safeguard the situation. ā
February 1, 2023
@Peter – The Government actions to date all point to manufacturing a return to the Control of the unelected and unaccountable. Thatās why they are deliberately trashing the UK economy as they see removing their responsibility to manage the reward. It works better fo them when they are told what to do by a foreign body rather than accept their duty to the UK Citizen
February 1, 2023
+1
February 1, 2023
Correct.
The care sector is short of capacity because a large proportion of its workers went back to their home countries after brexit.
February 1, 2023
And another large proportion of care workers didn’t want to be jabbed by order of Parliament.
February 1, 2023
My personal experience was that EU citizens began returning home because of improved wages in their own countries, coupled to a fall in exchange rates (as the Pound was devalued by QE). This trend accelerated during Covid when many went home to be nearer family. They didn’t come back because they found work locally and housing and other costs were lower. Nothing to do with ‘Brexit’ in the main, just simple economics. They could now make enough that they didn’t need to work abroad (e.g. here). A bit like our Lads going to Germany – ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’.
February 1, 2023
Correct. Same is true in farming, truck driving, fishing etc etc. Brexit has robbed us of willing workers, and the economy has shrunk, and British people are poorer. What a sad story historians will write about Brexit, why were people conned, they will ask
February 1, 2023
I always assumed that the reason those “willing workers” were welcomed here Gary, was that they were cheaper to employ than the British ones? Which is why UK Employers were so keen to have them here.
Perhaps if those same Employers had invested in new plant and staff training, instead of just importing cheap labour they would be having less problems managing now? New plant and equipment doesn’t need more homes, schools and hospitals to house it either…
February 1, 2023
Ian T
Correct, and what does the present Chancellor do, he increases business and employee tax rates, and thus all have less to spend and invest.
We are being lead by fools that do not have a clue about human nature or economics
February 1, 2023
And it seems left because they were being forced against their wishes to take a vaccine they didn’t want to take.
The whole world it seems can get visas to work in our Health service. There are websites dedicated to it.
This government is in charge of visas and immigration they can allow or disallow whatever groups they want to.
February 1, 2023
Millions chose to stay – simple choice.
You didn’t ? Nottingham, Cardiff, Spain is it?
February 1, 2023
The Care Sector is short of capacity because Javid effectively sacked 40,000 Carers for refusing to participate in a medical experiment.
February 1, 2023
Many groups need more appropriate housing, Peter. In yesterdayās diary, Glen sensibly proposed reinstatement of convalescent homes. Basic hostel-style accommodation might better suit illegal entrants; freeing hotel access to the legal occupants their availability was intended to satisfy.
February 1, 2023
And they’re increasing by about 200 daily. It’s amazing that we have homeless on the streets and bed blockers in hospital when they can’t be rehoused but we can give 5 star treatment to invading hoardes who may wish to harm us.
February 1, 2023
This certainly seems to be the priorities this Sunak government is pushing. These and the Governmentās tax & regulate to death, anti-growth agenda. From the Spectator:-
āIf you were rich, foreign and globally mobile, would you choose to move to the UK? The trend, it turns out, is the other way: according to migration consultants Henley & Partners, weāve seen a net outflow of 12,000 millionaires since 2017, with 1,500 departures last year.ā
And who could blame them? The more that leave then the larger to UKās economic problems become. Labour seem to be relying on VAT on private schools and abolishing Non Dom status to fund their daft plans. Both would reduce the tax take & not increase it and even more wealth and productive will leave. Or just educate their children overseas or in the state sector. Or at the other end just live on benefits and do bartering or cash in hand.
February 1, 2023
It seems uk born citizens don’t get the same enhanced Human Rights.
February 1, 2023
@Peter Wood In all probability it is the Government and their slavish followers that need to be put out to pasture. Never has a Conservative Government been so left wing(being left of Labour), so out of touch and so lacking in management capability. Their attitude is one of destruction and control, complete fear of the People ā why because they know everyone and anyone could do a better job if they just butted out
February 1, 2023
I’m losing track of all the extra funding for the NHS. A focus on spending existing funding to greater effect would be nice.
February 1, 2023
Yes, in an organisation where even “Other” spends Ā£16.7bn according to the bma, a more forensic analysis would be helpful.
February 1, 2023
a similar amount wasted on dodgy PPE for Covid.
February 1, 2023
It would be nice & not just in the NHS but in the whole of the dire state sector. We have incompetence, endless waste, insane projects like Net Zero and HS2, crony capitalism everywhere and blatant fraud/corruption too.
February 1, 2023
@Sea_Warrior It is about redressing the failure of a previous Conservative Health Secretary who enforced the cuts in the first place. First remove 15,000 beds then say you need people to pay more tax to bring 5,000 back
February 1, 2023
If you treat the NHS like a political issue the problems it creates for patients will never be solved. Peeing more money down the unionised NHS is merely feeding an addiction
John may think he’s helping but he and his party’s approach simply over time makes thing worse
Accept you have to confront the unionised public sector to change things for the end-user. Otherwise it’s more snarky, arrogant Marxist union leaders provoking disruption for political ends
February 1, 2023
Nail on the head. Public sector is ruled and run by those with one political aim in mind.
While this continues nothing will work as it should and no amount of money will change that.
Again the Conservatives refuse to take on the beast, either because they are part of it (which I lean more toward thinking is the case now) or they are just too scared of the howling mob.
Either way the public suffer.
There is more than enough ammunition to fire at the castle they’ve built themselves to hide behind, but the Conservatives remain silent. BBC is a perfect example of how not taking on the beast allows it more power.
February 1, 2023
Our Government are useless at taking on the beast, wether its commie unions or the big enemy of Great Britain, the commie European Union.
We need them to grow some!
February 1, 2023
+1
February 1, 2023
+many
I remember when being a commie ( I donāt think it was illegal as such) was mightily frowned on.
Could not be a public servant if you had ever been a member of the Communist party.
But not as bad as the pogrom against the BNP.
The powers that-really-should-not-be have got their way!
February 1, 2023
Good morning.
Well done Sir John.
But where will these extra resources be used ? When will this money be available. How long before we can see the benefits ?
And at not wanting to sound mean, isn’t this just a small drop in the ocean compared to what other countries do ?
February 1, 2023
@ Mark B “Well done Sir John” – indeed! +1
Again, I can see what Sir John does, but what about the contribution from the other 649?
February 1, 2023
A Ā£billion here, Ā£10 billion there ….. soon we’ll be talking about REAL money.
The NHS needs fundamental reform; not tinkering around the edges and more money poured into the bottomless pit.
Have they scrapped any of the Diversity/Equality and Net Zero box ticking fiefdoms which have proliferated in the past year or so? That would have saved a Ā£billion.
Silly question.
February 1, 2023
Donna, yes you are right. As with so much else, like CC Act, NZ, the senseless war on CO2, the total waste of time diversity and equality has been forced on us by imo, imbeciles. All highly damaging to the economy, the country and the people and all without reference to the electorate. We are expected to be grateful for being saved from ourselves. Rubbish.
February 1, 2023
Fully agree Donna ….this government is too woke to change the NHS apart from pumping more money into it, to appease the media
February 1, 2023
I suggest that encouraging a bigger and stronger private sector is the best way to relieve the pressure on the NHS.
Tax relief for private health care and company schemes etc. is the way forward, not tossing more cash in the direction of the NHS. What has happened Sir John, to your suggestions that they need to made accountable for how their budget is spent?
February 1, 2023
@BOF +1, It is and has always been the only way forward. The compulsory NHI that we have should be just that, with the money just chasing the service were ever that may come from. This nonsense of a monolithic one size fits all Socialist project(One of the Worlds Largest employers) called the NHS needs to cease, give people back the freedom of choice.
Reminded here of the similar successful nationalised Coal, Steel and Motor Industries, all like the NHS have failed because Government put themselves their ego before the Customer
February 1, 2023
BOF
Your suggestion may certainly be less costly than simply throwing money at an already busted and inefficient system.
The problem is the NHS has become a political football, not just because some politicians make an issue of it, but because internal politics within it are rife, it is so easy to always simply say, we do not have enough money, and use that as a default excuse for delay and failure..
February 2, 2023
It is not a football it can be likened to the ‘good book’. Criticism not allowed, in fact hordes will descend on the mere suggestion. Any problem raised can be cured by turning to read yet more pages of the script. Repeat after me ‘NHS GOOD, NHS GOOD’.
February 1, 2023
Succeeding with an important well-reasoned campaign is a splendid achievement. The unfortunate aspect was that the Govt lacked the good sense to know and do what was so needed, and reacted only in response to the campaign.
Having neglected so much for so long, the Govt has contributed to the breakdown of many essential services, with defects so deep that they are likely to take many years to remedy, with or without vigorous campaign efforts.
February 1, 2023
As the population grows.
Well there is something you can do about that, but again the Conservatives just add to this particular problem from which many other problems are and will continue to arise.
February 1, 2023
You should take a look at the forums dedicated to cancer. Many sufferers are now not offered treatment, none at all, and other planned treatments are delayed. Cancer is supposed to be a NHS priority, so heaven help all those with illnesses of a lower priority. Ignoring unusual circumstances such as covid, NHS treatment and availability has always been a postcode lottery anyway.
My experience is that (in our NHS area) the consultants (and GP’s) try to palm everyone off to external palliative services as soon as possible, yet our emergency ‘Acute Oncology’ dept are excellent and can get CT scans done the same day. The forums indicate that some NHS areas are far better and far more willing than others at treating cancer.
February 1, 2023
Well Iām very pleased for JRās victory in itself ā¦that they have actually listened for once.
But who isnāt terrified of going into one of these woke hospitals?
Get out alive? Ventilated to destruction? Overdrugged?
Terrifyingā¦like when many hospital buildings were old workhouses and still kept that association in peopleās minds.
February 1, 2023
Cuibono,
Some hospitals are still like old workhouses – have a look at North Manchester General Hospital. Did someone mention levelling up ? No, I must have imagined it.
February 1, 2023
off topic, alarm, alarm – post of head of digital currency advertised,
https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1835241
Just who is governing us?
February 1, 2023
+many
Gosh!
Iād love to know!
But whoever it is, the minions must be totally complicit or terrified of them.
Off to Hell in a handcart eh?
February 1, 2023
Iago. Very informative. Such a laugh too. If you read the info entitled About HM Treasury it’s a real eye opener. It goes on about inclusivity and diversity. Green issues, carbon capture and global warming. All the usual rubbish we’ve come to expect ftom any public service. Apparently they are here to look after the public. Oh please, help me get up from the floor.
February 1, 2023
Well it certainly isn’t Sunak ….. but they definitely wanted him in No.10
Can’t think why š …. unless it’s because he’s a tame, ex-Goldman Sachs banker who would do what he was told to do.
February 1, 2023
Donāt remember that policy in the 2019 manifesto ā¦.soon thereāll be a new quango to assist the digital current marist ideals
February 1, 2023
But what are these places like now?
Do they force one to wear a mask night and day? As if some satanic hostage?
( As shown in tv ads for NHS).
Do they bar family and visitors and allow no contact with the outside world?
Never mind the terror of being ill with no skilled GP to hand ā¦the NHS scares me to death.
February 1, 2023
Indeed they want visitors out as they do not want them to see the dire state of much of the NHS. In may experience visitors have kept people alive when they were being appallingly mistreated by drawing thinks to people’s attention and demanding action.
February 1, 2023
+100
February 1, 2023
Sir John
Never stop pushing, we need more MPās like you.
But Oh, the Irony
Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary : slashed 15,000 NHS beds, which has reduced Englandās hospital capacity by five million patients a year.
Now the taxpayer (NOT the Government) will find the money to pay for 5,000 additional beds(Are they additional, or just being returned through Government ineptitude).
We are expected to accept this bumbling shower knows what they are doing, when they at best are just firefighting their own mistakes
February 1, 2023
The NHS is a bottomless pit of woke waste and bad practice. Reform not more cash is what is needed.
February 1, 2023
Like you I have no basic objection to more beds and ambulances. The question is, where are the nurses, paramedics and drivers who will man them. These necessary sticking plasters may fill a gap, but a service conceived in 1947 for a population of guess 45 million needs a radical rethink for 70 million in 2023 with medical proceedures never contemplated at conception. Some countries in Europe do it better for no more money, learn from them.
February 1, 2023
I see reported in the Times today, that the law of unintended consequences has struck again, with the Government now suggesting that Local Authorities should fine those using wood burning stoves Ā£250 a time “with on the spot fines” for poor emissions.
Once again politicians not understanding human nature, take something away, or make it too expensive, and people will find an alternative !
Aware toxic fumes are bad for your health, but that is what happens when cleaner fuel becomes too expensive !
People need to keep warm, otherwise you will need even more hospital beds !.
February 1, 2023
It is said people get religion when they are about to die. Rightly Sir JR claims this as positive progress however in my book that is totally negated by your failure over the last ten years to address operational issues like this that people have been āscreamingā at you about, let alone the wider poor performance culture.
The cynic in me might think there is an election due shortly.
And in other news, looks like a weak climb down (obviously to be spun as a raging success) on the books leaving NI de facto still a EU colony.
Well done Sir JR (ERG) keep battling
February 1, 2023
More beds for the 65,000 boat migrants more beds for the 25,000 Afghanistan’s waiting to come and then their dependents
More beds for adult teenagers more beds for the ever increasing african countries co.ing here I’m told can’t have appointment because Afghanistan’s in the local hotel have priority what’s my MP Robert Michelle for sutton coldfield doing NOTHING
George Sheard Birmingham
February 1, 2023
Do all these new NHS beds, in reconstituted or new wards, have to be heated by gas boilers or will they be subject to the 2030 net-zero regulation and be heated by āheat-pumpsā
February 1, 2023
Extra beds or simply ore money down the drain ?.
February 1, 2023
Apparently the EU has passed laws allowing insect material to be introduced into the human food chain. These laws may apply in Northern Ireland. What protection do the rest of us have against such foodstuffs being imported into the UK and can the Government impose similar laws without full Parliamentary process?
February 1, 2023
I’ve sent an FoI to DEFRA. But they’re so busy “working” from home it’s going to be a long time before I get a response.
February 1, 2023
A lawyer was interviewed on GB News and claimed that we don’t need to leave the ECHR in order to tackle the migrant crisis, merely repeal our own Human Rights Act. We could then say that our actions are necessary for national security, and this takes precedence over human rights at the ECHR. She said that the fundamental problem was that our politicians lack backbone. I suspect the real issue is lack of political will, Sunak is being dragged kicking and screaming towards actions to reduce immigration by senior Tories warning him that doing nothing will lose the next election.
February 1, 2023
I accept it does make sense, per Minister Barclay, to keep in view that “It is also a question of reducing the numbers going to hospital….”, odd though it looks after condemning the working from home phenomenon to be promoting being ill from home.
The district nursing service seems to be a very good present means of delivering health care and some of the extra funding could doubtless usefully be spent upon allocating to it more resource.
February 1, 2023
PMQs today ā Sunak comes across as a debating 6th former ā is he really the best leader for the next general election ā¦.heās platitude central
February 1, 2023
@johnredwood
1, The UK imposes too much tax on energy, making it dearer
2, The EU uses product rules to keep out imports
3, The bigger issue that stops agreement is their wish to control the laws and taxes in Northern Ireland
4, The Treasury needs to prove the IMF forecasts for a weak UK economy wrong.
5, We now need to use those freedoms to make life better.
And many moreā¦.
All good sound practical suggestions for a UK moving forward. Why do the present incumbents in Government go out of their way to fight the People and the Economy of the UK?
They are either to frightened to Manage, or are conspiring failure so as to get back to taking orders form their unelected unaccountably masters in the EU ā there can be no other explanation.
February 1, 2023
Apparently the mayor of London is so determined re ULEZ because he is the chairman of C40.
C40 = NO CARS in loads of cities ( globally I think) including Shrewsbury, Bath, London and on and on.
Roads to Rosebeds.
The End.
February 1, 2023
I’m concerned that this government isn’t concerned and is therefore complicit
February 1, 2023
++++many
I think you are right to be concerned!
February 1, 2023
I’m puzzled by this constant NHS excuse of ‘not enough beds’. I can understand it where there is a sudden unexpectedly high intake of A&E accessions, but the excuse is glibly used (and abused) for post-operative cases as well – even though in almost all cases the wards have no fixed beds, as most beds are now trolley beds, wheeled from the operating theatre into an empty space in the ward. When an elderly relative had a pre-planned operation recently, although it had been noted in advance that he would have a post-operative place in the ward at least for one night/day, in fact he was left after the op in the recovery ward on his trolley-bed for a full twelve hours, until midnight. Though the nurse on-duty could be heard pleading with the hospital bed manager to accommodate him in the ward, the bed manager refused, claiming there was ‘no bed available’.
At midnight, the bed manager went off duty, and as if that manager had been the only impediment, the patient, was then wheeled up to the ward where his mobile bed occupied one of several vacant spaces there. At no time during his stay were more than half a dozen of the available ten spaces occupied by patients.
So is it ‘beds’ or is it ‘staff rotas’ and union-imposed levels of ward occupation, added to managerial parsimoniousness?
February 1, 2023
A few years ago I spent 10 days in the hospital as surgery uncovered an infection had spread to the bone and twice daily doses of antibiotics were required for at least six weeks, at first my request to go home and go daily to the local hospital were dismissed. Every day I bombarded anyone and everyone with new arguments as to why I should go home. Finally they agreed that if the antibiotics came in tablet form I could go home. Fortunately they did and I went home where I started to thrive, it took, 5 six weeks courses of the medicine before the infection cleared. Had I been made to stay in the hospital I would have died of boredom and the vilest food I have ever eaten!
On my first check up after going home, One of the doctor was shocked at how much better I looked!
February 1, 2023
That’s fine but funding for the NHS is crowding out resources for other Departments (e.g. police, education). What I want to see are detailed proposals for reducing the NHS’s top heavy management structure. The figures you have given demonstrate this. In addition, only 52.6% of NHS staff are clinically professionally qualified, And I trust that you recognise that tax raised to fund the NHS is already too high.
February 1, 2023
Maybe Sir John ought to wait a while before feeling so pleased with himself. These 5000 must be a distinct addition that would not have occurred routinely, for example if a new ward opens next week or next month, with an extra 10 beds, or if a new hospital were to open at the end of this year, they are not to be included as part of the 5000. This must be a clear extra 5000 with no figure manipulation to claim a false success. And when do we get them? One yesr, five years, ten years?
February 1, 2023
Perhaps Sir John could ask another question (s)? How many new wards were added in NHS hospitals during the last 12 months? Have fixed locations been identified for the 5000 new beds, and what timeframe is known for the delivery? What adjustments, if any, will need to be made in wards in order to accommodate them?
February 1, 2023
You know all those closed wards with beds stacked in the corner ā¦well I bet thatās half of them, and the old covid era nightingale hospital beds the other half
February 2, 2023
Sunak on Morgan āHe pointed out that nurses unlike everyone else int he public sector got a pay rise during the pandemic despite a nationwide pay freeze. But Mr Morgan said: “That was all wiped out with inflation.”
Nurses had a pay award in October 2022 The UK government has announced that NHS staff in England will get a pay increase of at least Ā£1,400 for 2022-23 back dated to April 2022, this was on top of their increase for 2022-23 already awarded. So why didnāt Sunak say that? Up to grade 5 it was nearly 10% increase this year?
https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/uk-nhs-pay-rise-2022-23-announced-below-inflation-insult-to-nursing-190722
I wonder why Tories are trying to lose on purpose, so they donāt have to follow through on anything.