The days of ‘our’ NHS are over

Have you noticed something? Whether it is the nurses, who are no longer striking, the junior doctors, about to spend three days on the picket line in pursuit of their 35 per cent pay claim, or the consultants, threatening a two-day walk-out which they may choose to spend topping up their income in the private sector rather than shouting slogans outside their hospital – it’s all about them.

They are exhausted, they are suffering from ‘burn-out’, their work brings on mental health issues. Their pay has – hardly uniquely – lagged way behind inflation, their working conditions are intolerable. No one respects them or their hard work, they’re threatening to follow their zillions of colleagues who have left for a better work-life balance by an Australian beach. By now, you can probably recite their list of grievances by heart. You might also have figured out that someone, quite a lot of someones, are missing from the picture.