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The NHS is being primed for another year of change as Sajid Javid vowed 2022 would be the “year of reform” for the health service.
The health and social care secretary, who marked 100 days since succeeding Matt Hancock this week, insisted the reforms were “absolutely necessary” and had to happen sooner rather than later.
Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Monday, he said: “It can’t just be about [more] resources.
“[The money the NHS gets] has to go a lot further, so it doesn’t just become about how we can get more money.”
Initial reactions from some were tepid, but of course that was all before The Times’ front-page splash suggested NHS bosses faced the hook if they failed to clear waiting times quickly enough.
It is slightly ironic then that, during the conference, Mr Javid said he also wanted NHS staff to feel “valued”.
Does that extend to the NHS managers who will supposedly be on the chopping block should they not get through waits soon enough?
Ministers believe this is the right way forward, but others argue whether it is the best approach given the resources at hand to carry it all out.
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