UK: Health Chief Calls On Govt to Declare NHS Major Incident

Facts

• President of the Society for Acute Medicine Dr. Tim Cooksley, along with the Liberal Democrats, has called on the UK government to declare a "national major incident" over continuing pressure within the National Health Service (NHS). At least seven hospital trusts currently have critical incidents in place, while Matthew Taylor, the head of the NHS Confederation, has told news outlets that the organization is facing "the toughest winter" they have dealt with.
• Cooksley added that the "best hope" of a short-term solution laid in a number of recommendations, including increased investment in primary care, social care, mental health, and ambulance services.
• If declared, a major incident — which is confirmed only when the health of the community faces serious threat — would result in the introduction of special measures and the availability of extra resources.
• On Monday, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Ian Higginson threw his weight behind claims that between 300-500 people are dying every week in the UK due to delays in emergency care.
• The government is also potentially facing months of NHS strikes in the new year, as unions have condemned plans to raise staff salaries by 2% in 2023. Widespread strikes are already ongoing, with ambulance workers set for industrial action on Jan. 11 and Jan. 23, and nurses planning to cease work on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19.
• A number of NHS trusts have told patients to avoid emergency departments if possible in recent days, as some have been forced to wait for up to four days to receive care. A severe flu outbreak, alongside rising COVID cases, has resulted in bed occupancy reaching record levels.

Sources: Sky News, UK Yahoo, BBC News, Telegraph, and Guardian.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. More strikes loom, the crisis in adult social care continues to escalate, and junior NHS doctors are ready to quit their roles en masse. With the safety of the nation at stake, Rishi Sunak's government seems committed to intentionally maximizing conflict and disruption. The conservatives' stubbornness in the face of reasonable demands — amid spiraling inflation — is putting lives at risk.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Spectator (UK). While Sunak's government can pursue long-term reforms to the NHS — such as providing equipment, funding, and enacting repairs — few of such interventions will have any impact on the situation before the next election. Sunak will need to devise an inventive and politically astute plan to respond to this situation while protecting conservative interests in the lead-up to the next general election.