1st July 2023
Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting – Labour also has a plan
Capitalist confidence tricks continued unabated this week with a series of measures designed to delude the public into thinking that the current systemic crises can be solved. They can, of course, but not by using any of the methods proposed by the political establishment which, seeing no alternative to capitalism, is locked in a perpetual struggle to make it appear the be fair and democratic. The reality that only socialism can deliver true fairness and democracy is an option which is not on the political radar of the British ruling class, as such a consideration would mean their own class losing power in favour of the working class.
The battle to drive down inflation once again hit the headlines this week. For British Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, this is the primary objective of economic policy. Not industrial and manufacturing growth; not full employment and job security; not investment in crumbling road, school and NHS infrastructure; getting inflation below 2% is the mantra.
Hunt is a great believer in wage restraint as one of the mechanisms to control inflation and regularly berates trade union demands for higher pay to keep up with the economic mess his party have been instrumental in creating. Higher pay is driving up inflation is the cry. Wage restraint and more slack in the economy, by which is meant more people on the dole, are seen to be the solutions to the inflation crisis.
In classic Tory fashion, egged on by the right wing press, Hunt presents no evidence to back his assertions. On the contrary, the evidence points in exactly the opposite direction. Official data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that since January, wage increases are only becoming more generous among the top 10% of earners.
Workers earning at least £180,000 a year were paid 7.9% more than last year according to figures for April, while those receiving £26,300 a year only saw increases of 4.7% in the same period. Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, seems to be equally keen to turn a blind eye to these figures, even though they are not close to keeping pace with inflation at 8.7%. Even though wage increases for low paid key workers in particular, remain well below the inflation rate, the government has already signalled that it will overrule recommendations from pay review bodies if their proposals are deemed to be “unsustainable.”
The Tories seem content to allow unsustainability to flourish in other areas however. The cheapest fixed rate mortgages on offer from high street banks is now running at an average 6.37%, squeezing those already with mortgages and closing the door to those seeking to buy a home, especially for the first time. With wages rises below inflation and mortgage rates increasing, which usually goes hand in hand with private sector rent increases, it is little wonder that trade union militancy is at its current heights.
While the Tories may feel they have been let off the hook due to the Royal College of Nursing not getting a high enough turnout in their ballot to extend strike action, they are still faced with a five day walkout by junior doctors (13th -18th July) as well as two days of action by consultants (20th-21st July), and two days of action by teachers in July.
Without any hint of irony, in the midst of the ongoing crisis, the government has announced a Long Term Workforce Plan for the NHS which claims that by 2031/32 there will be a 40% increase in dentists; a 50% increase on GPs; a 92% increase in nurses; and a 100% increase in doctors.
Such ambition is bound to garner press headlines and makes for great soundbites but does it stand up to scrutiny? Given the intransigence of the government on NHS pay does the Plan include the investment in resources to pay staff the rate for the job in order to ensure that they are retained, let alone train and recruit in the additional numbers indicated?
NHS England recognises that,
“… the number of people aged over 85 is estimated to grow 55% by 2037, as part of a continuing trend of population growth which outstrips comparable countries. Inaction in the face of demographic change is forecast to leave us with a shortfall of between 260,000 and 360,000 staff by 2036/37.”
It claims that the Plan “builds on initiatives already happening in the NHS to boost training and improve retention by working differently in a compassionate and inclusive culture.” Which is all very well, as long as compassion and inclusivity go alongside having enough money to pay the bills and feed the kids. The Plan sets out its priorities as train, retain and reform, claiming to “herald the start of the biggest recruitment drive in health service history.”
Worthy words and laudable ambitions but ones which must include the revision of existing pay structures and salary levels, to ensure that the mooted investment in training makes a career in the NHS a financially viable one.
Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has welcomed the Plan, expressing relief that it has been published, while accusing ministers of “nicking Labour’s plan”, given the commitment to a ten year plan to make the NHS “fit for the future” which Labour made in September 2022. Labour’s plan aimed “to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community” while promising,
“…to deliver better pay, terms and conditions for care workers (which) will reduce the 400,000 delayed discharges every month and provide better quality care for older and disabled people: the first steps on the road to a National Care Service.”
It is clear that both major parties are now manoeuvring for position with a General Election looming and the NHS likely to be a key battleground. However, failing to address the issue of pay and conditions, as part of the wider package of NHS and care reform will not translate into better outcomes for either staff or patients.
The real long term plan for the NHS begins with backing the workers currently taking action to improve those pay and conditions, the first step towards rebuilding an NHS free at the point of use and free from the circling hawks of the private sector. Whatever Jeremy Hunt or Rishi Sunak may think, that would be an NHS which is sustainable, compassionate and inclusive. It may even be a demand that Kier Starmer and Wes Streeting could be compelled to back, with enough pressure upon them to do so.
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