The Prime Minister has issued a stern warning that there is no money to give to the NHS and it will take some 10-years to fix the issues surrounding the health service.
Sir Keir Starmer said the NHS is “in serious trouble” after a nine-week review was released in a damning report.
The report was undertaken by the former health minister Lord Dazi said that people are living longer with health conditions and there is poor staff morale in the NHS along with low productivity.
Starmer said on Thursday working people cannot afford to pay for the NHS with increased taxes, so there is only two options.
Starmer said, the NHS will either “reform or die.
“Of course, even in difficult economic circumstances a Labour Government will always make the investment that is needed in the NHS.
“But we have to fix the plumbing before turning on the taps.”
He added, “So hear me when I say this: No more money without reform. I’m not prepared to see even more of your money spent on agency staff that cost £5,000 a shift, on appointment letters that arrive after the appointment, or paying to keep people in hospital just because they can’t get the care they need in the community.”
The Mirror asked Starmer if people will have to wait for many long hours in A&E to be seen for ten years, Starmer said, “I accept that whilst the overall change needs a 10-year plan, we’ve got to show the change along the way.”
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said, “It is essential that the 10-year NHS Plan for which the Darzi report establishes the baseline, sets out how we can ensure social care plays a full part in the joined-up care at home or a care home that many older people need.”
Daisy Coooper, the Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokeswoman said the damage done to the NHS by the Conservative is “unforgivable”.
She added, “The elephant in the room is that we cannot reform our NHS without reforming social care.”
