Rishi Sunak has admitted that the health service is “under pressure” but that he has a “renewed sense of optimism” that the government will be able to address the problems
Interviewed on the Laura Keunsburg show on the BBC this morning, The Prime Minister that fixing the NHS is a top priority for him adding that his actions, not words, will improve the NHS inviting people to hold him to account.
He said that discussions held yesterday at Downing Street with health bosses looked to find best practice that could be shared amongst NHS trusts and that he wanted to focus on getting patients discharged from hospital to social care, home settings and virtual wards.
He also highlighted his plans for reducing waiting lists over the long term, and said he was “confident” that within a few months, patients wouldn’t have to wait longer than 18 months for treatment.
Pushed on the issue of nurses pay he said that the Government would be meeting the unions on Monday but asked whether he would talk about paying nurses more in the current financial year – rather than for 2023-24 – he replied
“The most important thing is to be talking.” And that it would not be right to start having negotiations in public.
