A
number of constituents have sent me a campaign email entitled make sure
nursing counts at this election.
The
NHS is of fundamental importance to us all and my own experiences of being a
patient have only been positive. It remains a fundamental part of our society.
It
is a government priority and the NHS is receiving record funding with more to
come. You will know that the Conservative party has now released its manifesto
which mentions nurses eight times. The section below which I copy for your ease
of reference is a key feature:
The
1.4 million dedicated staff who
deliver
world-class care day in, day out
are
at the heart of the NHS. Our core
priority
is to make sure this workforce
can
grow and has the support it needs
–
in terms of numbers, training and
resources.
That means that if you do fall
ill,
you’ll get the care and attention you
deserve.
We
will deliver:
} 50,000 more nurses,
with students
receiving
a £5,000-£8,000 annual
maintenance
grant every year during
their
course to help with their cost
of
living – and they won’t have to pay
it
back. Everyone will receive at least
£5,000
with further funding in regions or
disciplines
that are struggling to recruit
–
such as mental health – and help with
their
childcare costs.
} 6,000 more doctors in
general
practice
and 6,000 more primary care
professionals,
such as physiotherapists
and
pharmacists. This is on top of the
7,500
extra nurse associates and
20,000
primary care professionals that
we
have already announced.
} We will improve staff
morale with more
funding
for professional training and
more
supportive hospital management.
} We will introduce an
NHS Visa. Our
NHS
People Plan will ensure that we
train
and employ tens of thousands
more
NHS professionals here in the
UK.
But we also want to make sure that
those
from overseas who want to work
in
and support our NHS are encouraged
to
do so. That is why qualified doctors,
nurses
and allied health professionals
with
a job offer from the NHS, who have
been
trained to a recognised standard,
and
who have good working English, will
be
offered fast-track entry, reduced visa
fees
and dedicated support to come to
the
UK with their families.
Our
new funding will deliver 50 million
extra
general practice appointments
a
year, an increase of over 15 per
cent.
That means that if you need an
appointment,
waiting times will be
shorter
and you’ll get the service you
deserve.
We
also want to make sure that
doctors
spend as much time as
possible
treating patients, so we will
address
the ‘taper problem’ in doctors’
pensions,
which causes many to turn
down
extra shifts for fear of high tax
bills.
Within our first 30 days, we will
hold
an urgent review, working with
the
British Medical Association and
Academy
of Medical Royal Colleges to
solve
the problem.
The
NHS is one of the best if not the most loved institutions we have and I am
confident that with sound government and good management of the country we can
continue to invest and deal with the undoubted demands and pressures that it
faces.
