We spoke to Health Secretary Wes Streeting afterwards and started by asking why the government hasn’t got the powers that be with a 10-year plan, and if they’re going to waste a year in office before taking action.
West Road: First of all, we don’t waste time. We have hit the ground running. We ended the junior doctor’s strike within weeks of entering office. We have provided funding to employ another 1,000 GPs on the frontline. We have taken action on public health by banning junk food advertising targeted at children. We will have a tobacco and vaping bill and mental health reform act soon. So, there are a lot of things that we have done. When it comes to long-term plans, we’ve got a clear direction on what we want to do.
The reason why we are starting the biggest national conversation in the history of the NHS is because I think, and the prime minister thinks a lot, that when you transform public services, you don’t have to do it for people, you have to do it with people. And in the NHS and the millions of people who use it, there is a wealth of experience and expertise to draw on. Because with the best will in the world, I think most people think, ‘the last people I want to decide how the NHS is run are a lot of politicians, I want experts. And unlike the previous government, this government cannot have enough experts, so we are drawing people.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy: So you’re really trying to bind everyone, right, so you can’t be criticized in the years to come? So everyone is signed up and you can say ‘everyone agrees this is the plan.’
West Road: I like to avoid criticism. I believe that people will always criticize, and in a way we should not reject criticism and challenges, we should accept them. So part of what we’re going to see, I’m sure, during the engagement, in fact I’m sure on change.nhs.uk, there will be people who have posted, ‘Well, I disagree with the government on this or I disagree with the health secretary on ‘. Bring that advice, bring that view because I think it’s just one shot. I think it is existential for the NHS and we are taking action now to get the NHS back on its feet. But what this process is really about is ensuring that we have an NHS that is fit for the future.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy: That is for the long term. But now in the next three months, you are facing a winter crisis and people are going to lose their lives because of the inefficiency of the NHS. How is it different in this government? Are you planning to change this season?
West Road: Perhaps the most important change we have made is to ensure that the NHS does not have to deal with attacks at the same time as winter. Over the past few years, the NHS has come under attack. Don’t underestimate the impact of these attacks, the disruption they cause. So creating a situation where NHS leaders and frontline staff can only think about how to deal with patients rather than dealing with the loss of activity around them is a huge change.
I wish I could sit here and tell you that in the first term of the Labor government we can only eliminate the corridor care and no one will be on the trolleys in the corridor. There will be people on trolleys in the corridor today and there will be throughout the season. What should be done is, instead of trying to achieve arbitrary targets this season, is to ensure that for every patient who enters the door, the safety and dignity of the patient is the most important thing, instead of trying to work for some target of the agreement of the new government.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy: For many hospitals it’s about the deficit, right? And the NHS Confederation believes there is more than a £2 billion current deficit in hospital trusts. Are you going to deal with it? Will you eliminate the deficit so that the hospital does not cut services this winter?
West Road: When we come to, as well as the 22 billion black hole that the chancellor identified in public finances, there are some direct, real-world consequences for government departments. But for the future and beyond the budget, which I do not want to pre-empt, but as the chancellor said, the NHS is a priority for the budget. Beyond the budget, I will press ahead with the further action needed to ensure we do not end up with a culture in the NHS of annual deficits.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy: Can you explain what you mean about Ozempic? Because a week ago, you seemed to say that this could be used to reduce unemployment and then backed off. So what are you going to do with fat jabs?
West Road: I’m so glad you asked, because reading some of the comments, you’d think I’d be wandering around the country in a dystopian way, accidentally jabbing fat people at the supermarket checkout by accident, or chasing unemployment. people, assuming they are all overweight and make people have jabs.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy: Do you want to bid?
West Street: To be clear, I have some encouraging evidence that weight loss jabs can be effective in reducing obesity, reducing heart disease and diabetes as long as, and this is an important bit, it is done alongside changes to diet and changes to exercise. And the reason I’m talking about unemployment is because if you look at people who are out of work and sick or sick or unable to work, a lot of the health conditions are obesity as a driver.
Obesity costs us three times more than smoking. So the argument I have is not that we’re going to jab unemployed people to get them back to work. The argument I have is that we will tackle obesity because by doing this we will not see people out of work, sick. And I think this drug can make a real difference to people. But we proceed in an evidence-based way. I tell people, forget the headlines for a minute, it’s not a violation of your profession. We approach this in a well-thought-out, considered and evidence-based, and most importantly ethical way, recognizing that the health of the nation and the health of the economy go hand in hand.
