Wasting away

The NHS is in dire straits. I never thought I’d say this but as a doctor, and having seen the extent of the current crisis, I’d be scared if a family member had to go into hospital. Despite the best efforts of staff, the pressures are such that it’s all too easy for mistakes to be made. Doctors and nurses are going to work fearful of the situation they will find. They know how unsafe it is, and yet they are utterly powerless to do anything about it.

The predictable response is to call for more money to be hurled at the NHS. It’s all because of cuts, they say. Yet a report last year from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that health spending is at its highest level in history, and that Jeremy Corbyn’s accusations that the Tories have presided over ‘deep cuts’ to the NHS budget are simply wrong.