The shadow health secretary has ‘made it very clear’ to hospitals that any funding that becomes ‘available’ under a Labour Government would go to primary care and other non-acute sectors.
Speaking at a Labour Party conference event, attended by Pulse, Wes Streeting said directing resources to primary care along with mental health services, community care and social care creates ‘better outcomes for patients’ and value for money.
Earlier this year, the shadow health secretary indicated that the Labour Party would give general practice a larger percentage of NHS funding ‘over time’.
During a panel with BMA council chair Dr Philip Banfield and Royal College of Nursing vice chair Paul Vaughan, Mr Streeting said: ‘We’ve committed to increase the proportion of funding in mental health.
‘In fact I’ve already made it very clear to the acutes that as additional resources become available, the first port of call on those resources will be mental health, primary care, community care, social care – because that’s how we get better outcomes for patients and better outcomes for taxpayers’ money.’
On the NHS workforce, he acknowledged that recruiting more healthcare professionals ‘is only part of the challenge’ and that ‘retention is a big problem’.
Mr Streeting suggested that improving technology would help to ‘meet the overwhelming workload challenge’ faced by healthcare professionals across the NHS.
According to Mr Banfield, general practice is the ‘most efficient and effective part of our health service’, and GPs are facing increased costs ‘without that being funded’.
The BMA council chair said: ‘I have no problem understanding that I could not be a GP. I could not work with the insane number of decisions that they have to make, and the way that they manage risk is just amazing.’
He also criticised the ‘rhetoric’ around the medical workforce, and said ‘there seems to be an attempt to assassinate the character of GPs at the moment’.
The Labour Party has not yet made any announcements specific to primary care during its conference, but in August, Mr Streeting said he wants to give GP practices financial incentives to let patients see the same doctor every time, in a bit to boost continuity of care.
And party leader Sir Keir Starmer said earlier this year that the GP partnership model is ‘coming to an end of its life’ and that the NHS needs ‘more salaried GPs’.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
‘Any available funding’ under a Labour Government would go to GPs over hospitals‘ says Sir Keir!
And elsewhere……
Labour would allocate £1.1 billion to help fund higher overtime payments, such as weekend shifts, to reduce the seven million strong NHS waiting list, its conference has heard.
So putting these statements together, it would seem that GPs will be funded ‘to do the necessary’ operations! Hurray!
Pay me £500 an hour and I am happy to do a few more hours
Streeting will say anything at present to stay in the shadow cabinet. Magicking billions out of his arse for everyone! Wait till they are in power and the fairy money tree and unicorn horns will all wither with the promises.
One thing not to trust is his nature. Someone really vociferous in their criticism of GPs has softened his tone considerably. It reminds me of Hunt when he was singing the ‘save GPs’ song but quickly changed his tune as soon as he put on the chancellor’s mantle. Now he cant remember ever saying anything about primary care. Photoshoots with politicians in rolled up sleeves and tucked in ties only look good in tertiary care hospitals looking concerned over poorly pts having chemo, not in rammed surgery waiting rooms!
a wise ex girlfriend used to say to me “never expect anything off anyone – that way you won’t be disappointed when you don’t get it” !!
wise words !!