The National Health Service cannot afford to stand still. Changing demographics, rising demand and staffing shortages require radical action. To that end, the Government has published its long-awaited NHS workforce plan.
The intention is to train more than 300,000 additional doctors, nurses and other health workers in England over the next 15 years. This would represent the largest recruitment drive in the history of the NHS.
The need is urgent. There are at present over 112,000 vacancies in the NHS in England, contributing to record-high waiting lists, which stood at 7.4m at the end of April.
Only last year, the then chair of the Health and Social Care Committee and now Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, warned that “persistent understaffing in the NHS poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety”.
This is a question not only about recruitment but retention, given that medical professionals are sought-after the world over. They can — and are — leaving the NHS, for better pay and conditions. This makes the task harder still.
If properly funded and administered, the increase in training places should help secure the NHS’s long-term future. What it will not do is address today’s crisis.
Rory to the rescue?
It was not quite a Shermanesque statement, named after the US Civil War General William Sherman, who was resolute on not becoming president. His denial is often shortened to: “If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve.”
Nevertheless, Justine Greening, the former cabinet minister and social mobility campaigner, has ruled herself out of the running to be the Conservative candidate for mayor, suggesting it’s “not the right time”.
Her entry into the race would have shaken up a shortlist lacking star quality and reeling from the loss of frontrunner Daniel Korski, over allegations that he groped Daisy Goodwin, a TV producer, in Downing Street a decade ago.
Perhaps Rory Stewart could tear himself away from his podcast and consider a run?
The big chill can wait
An English summer is only ever an afternoon downpour away from disappointing a sun-deprived nation. Even so, even seven degrees celsius is a bit on the cool side.
Fortunately, the unseasonably chilly forecast was due to a bug in the BBC Weather app and website. So Londoners can still head to Lords, Pride or Wimbledon next week in T-shirts rather than woolly hats.
