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It’s my opinion, Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick is a bit of a plonker.
Perhaps he’s dim? Badly advised? If that’s the case, he’s probably in over-his-head.
Maybe he shoots from the hip? In which case, keep him out of Downing Street.
I’ve not followed the machinations of the Tory leadership fandango. Whoever’s chosen won’t lead the Tories into the next election, anymore than Charmer will lead Labour. Interims are interims, and that’s that.
Seat warmers.
As far as I can see; Jenrick wants to take us out of the European human rights legislation, do something to stop migrants risking-all to get here. Be tough on crime. 'Realistic' about net zero, homes for young people and good-quality public services.
Sounds familiar?
I wouldn’t have known any of this but for a friend who sent me screenshots of an interview Jenrick did with the £walled Sunday Times. It’s a sort of Hello Magazine meets fan-boy. Creepy.
Jenrick is against Wes Streeting's proposals to ban smoking in pub gardens. The Tories don’t like banning anything.
This is Streeting’s blunder… if he’d have said, ‘… making pub gardens smoke free for us all and our kids to enjoy’, Jenrick would have had trouble demurring from that.
That’s the problem when you put amateurs in charge.
Here’s something else Jenrick said;
‘… one of the best things that could happen is … removing Amanda Pritchard as chief executive of NHS.
It's particularly disappointing that Pritchard essentially denied the NHS has a problem with productivity in front of a select committee last year… [she]… has presided over plummeting productivity and then denied there’s a problem…
… it’s nothing personal… I know she's very professional. But, I do think it's time for someone new, who gets that NHS productivity has to improve.’
Actually, Pritchard did no such thing.
What she did [Q25] was to emphasise; traditional measures of productivity often focus on acute hospital care, which provides an incomplete picture of overall NHS performance…
... not fully capturing the breadth of NHS activities, such as; diagnostics and community care…
... the rise in GP appointments and diagnostic tests post-pandemic..
... all of which have seen significant changes.
She also said the NHS workforce plan includes an assumption of a 1.5-2% productivity increase but rightly, warned that achieving this would require investments in technology and the NHS estate.
All of which has been confirmed in the recent Darzi analysis.
It is unusual for politicians to 'name' public servants, even more to suggest they be replaced in the high-handed way…
… as Jenrick has done.
Of course, it’s not unusual for politicians to be wrong…
… as Jenrick is.
He is wrong and rude and therefore qualifies for me, as a numpty.
NHS productivity? Here’s what he needs to know;
1. Ten years of Tory flat-line funding did structural damage, leading to staff shortages, outdated equipment, and longer waiting times. Making it harder improve or maintain productivity levels. Subsequent £ump-sum increases have failed to keep pace with rising demand and inflationary pressures.
2. The population is aging, with more complex, long-term health issues, increasing demand, putting a strain on productivity, as it consumes more resources. There’s a dramatic, post-pandemic increase in demand impacting the ability to meet targets, further complicating productivity assessments.
3. Productivity can be measured by the number of patients treated or the quality of outcomes. The numbers treated has risen, but some survival rates, stagnated. There’s been improvements through digitalisation, records, tele-med, NHSApp and better resource management but often overshadowed by demand.
4. Burnout and morale issues exacerbate problems. NMC data show the number of nurses quitting the register within five years of joining has surged by 25%.
5. Covid caused delays in elective treatments, resulting in backlogs which impact productivity as hospitals prioritise urgent and delayed treatments.
6. HMG’s insistence on restructuring the NHS, with ICS’s, has been messy, inadequately funded, and there are too many of them. They’re a huge diversion. The NHS has more contracts for service with the private sector than it had before Covid, which fragments care and private profits suck money out of the NHS.
7. Healthcare spend per person has fallen in all nations since the pandemic.
My advice? If Jenrick can’t be trusted on the NHS, you can’t trust him on anything.
Don’t vote for a numpty.
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