Read on Twitter
Thread - Pent up demand and extra long term demand from Covid related impacts clearly mean that governments should be; keeping non Covid care going wherever possible, spending more on health and care, investing in prevention, recruiting more health workers and addressing morale. https://twitter.com/Dr_A_Rashid/status/1356853186250891266
As the article says, the demands on the NHS due to Covid will be long term; Covid rehab, long Covid, worsened conditions due to delays in treatment will all mean more demands. But Covid has also revealed deep health inequality which must be addressed.
Covid also highlights how precarious the levels of provision in the NHS were pre Covid. The lack of excess capacity for a crisis can't be forgotten. But the mood music from UK government is not sending any signals that there is a willingness to commit long term additional funding
Pre Covid the Long Term Plan in England and strategies in the other UK countries emphasised prevention. encouraging us to #LoveActivity and eat better is not an alternative to good healthcare. Any big impact on NHS demand will take time to achieve.
Key to managing demand is expanding the health and care workforce. We need 000s of extra people to provide physio to Covid survivor alone. It takes a long time to train doctors, several years to train nurses and the fastest route into physio (MSc) is two years.
So it is good that @NHSEngland are promoting recruitment to the nursing and AHP professions now. But there are things which can be done quicker too; expanding the rehab support worker workforce, upskilling the existing workforce, recognising and utilising the skills of AHPs...
There has been talk of trying to retain the extra capacity which returners and temporary additional staff has given, but as yet little real thought to that. Which is where making working in the NHS a better experience for staff and contractors is so important.
There are many NHS staff who are only just managing. The pressure of treating Covid or the pressure of trying to keep other services going are weighing heavy. ensuring staff can decompress and rest is critical, but challenging. Giving hope of a better future is critical.
In England the People Plan has started discussion on making the NHS a better place to work, but Covid has not allowed progress to be made. Flexible working, better frontline management and addressing workplace discrimination are all part of a way forward.
But staff need to feel valued. A good long term pay settlement for all NHS staff would send a clear message that the governments and nations literally value the work everyone in the NHS does. NHS staff are not just "a thin red line of heroes when the drums begin to roll"
Investing in the NHS and those who work in it is also important for those working outside the NHS; NHS contractors, hospices, other charities, occupational health or self-employment.
More funding for the NHS means more scope for partnerships with other sectors. Some NHS contracted organisations receive extra govt funding to match pay rises. And because the NHS rate is the market rate others will have to match it to retain staff.
For the self-employed there is a constant challenge of gauging the market rate, so benchmarking take home income against the NHS rate, and adjusting fees accordingly can also be beneficial.
So right across the profession, the choices which governments make about future funding for health and NHS staff pay will have a big impact.
