15% of NHS England nurses who began as full-time staff between May 2016 and May 2017 had left full-time work by May 2017. (Full Fact)
Since 2010 spending on adult social care by councils has fallen by £1.3 billion in real terms. (Real Fact)
The number of GPs in England has almost certainly fallen since 2016. (Full Fact)
‘…Accounting for these things, the authors concluded that restrictions on spending and the number of nurses were linked with the 120,000 additional deaths.
Older people accounted for more of these additional deaths, with deaths at care homes and at home contributing most to the estimated additional deaths. Deaths in hospital were lower than expected. The authors put this down to greater pressures on social care spending, but also a drive to move more patients reaching the end of possible health treatments out of hospital.’ (Full Fact)
Why then with the Tories already depending upon the over 50’s, and most specifically the retired to stay in power, are they so complacent about funding the NHS that might keep their core vote alive longer? With life expectancy now in reverse (UK life expectancy among pensioners drops for first time in decades) they face the possibility of being deposited in to the dust bin of history as a younger demographic seeks a new kind of politics that is more honest, sincere and progressive.
The Conservatives, have according to Peter Hitchens, already betrayed their foundation principles and ‘have long believed in nothing and are interested only in being in office.’ (Theresa’s Tories… as useful as a zombie on a broken bike).
The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has with Iain Duncan Smith got to be anongst the most unpopular Secretaries of State this country has known in modern times. Cruel and out of touch. Then there is the persistent privatisation agenda that creeps out of every pore (Jeremy Hunt co-authored book calling for NHS to be replaced with private insurance). This has been escalated further in recent days with the rumours of a new health secretary and her husband’s links to Virgin Care.
Why would they expose themselves to ridicule from almost every influential voice outside of their ever shrinking party and actively pursue a policy that seriously damages their long term future? Do they know something we don’t?
Is the Trump rhetoric about North Korea and any other small country he can pick a fight with about destabilising the planet and the west? Is the threat of nuclear weapons more than just childish stomping?
Is the intention for the establishments to regain control via nationalism and crisis capitalism as with the response to New Orleans and the 2008 financial crash? Is it now just about clinging on to power as Peter Hitchens observed?
At some point we have to stop being lambs and start collectively imposing ourselves on these zombies.
Douglas James
