Calay News
The British government unveiled on Friday its plan to hire 300,000 professionals over the next 15 years to strengthen England’s public health system, which has been hit by staff shortages and deteriorating working conditions. Just days before the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS), the Ministry of Health presented a plan to hire 60,000 doctors, 170,000 nurses, and 71,000 other employees.
It is important to note that this project only applies to England, as healthcare management is the responsibility of the regional governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which are part of the United Kingdom.
The NHS, a source of historic pride for the British, has been deeply affected for years by the austerity policies implemented by the Conservatives, who have been in power for 13 years. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, generating long waiting lists for treatments and interventions. According to official data, more than 7.4 million people were waiting for treatment in England in April.
Doctors and nurses have staged numerous strikes over the past year, demanding pay rises in line with rising inflation and complaining of stress and burnout caused by understaffing.
Currently, the NHS has 112,000 vacancies, and if no action is taken, this figure could rise to 360,000 by 2037.According to the BBC, currently, half of all new doctors and nurses must be recruited from abroad. Public healthcare is emerging as one of the main campaign issues ahead of the 2024 legislative elections, in which polls are predicting a sweeping victory for the opposition Labour party.
In this context, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government also announced an additional investment of 2.4 billion pounds (about $3 billion) over five years for health workforce training, including an apprenticeship program for doctors. Sunak described it as the largest training scheme in the history of the NHS and said it would be one of the most important commitments made during his time as prime minister.
