Daily Insight: Why there are 17 days to save the NHS and how it can be done

There are just 17 days to save the NHS. 

That is the opening claim made by HSJ editor Alastair McLellan’s editorial, and one he immediately qualifies with “an exaggeration of course. But only a little one”.

The NHS faces inflationary pressures which will add an extra £7bn to its costs, and it must face them on its own as the government’s mini-budget mayhem means it is not in a position to help, he says.

The task is simple, he argues: convince the government it must meet some or all of these costs – as well as preferably take some other action to mitigate their impact, such as relaxing some of the elective recovery targets. And do so before Monday 31 October when the government is due to reveal how it plans to balance the nation’s books.

It can be done, writes Alastair, and his answer is that MPs must be shown what will happen if the government proceeds as planned. Given that MPs represent local constituencies, and will be most sensitive to the impact on services in their area, this places a heavy onus on trust and integrated care board leaders. Read his full piece here.

Finance and other F-bombs

Amanda Pritchard pulled no punches at a private meeting for senior NHS leaders on Thrsday, when she described the service’s financial situation as a “f**king nightmare”.

According to several sources who were present, the NHS chief executive also said “we must not collide with defeatism” around the multiple pressures facing the system.

The sources said she also aired frustration at the government’s attitude towards the prevention agenda and health inequalities.

It was reported earlier this week that health and social care secretary Therese Coffey intended to drop a scheduled action plan to tackle smoking in England, while prime minister Liz Truss recently ordered a review of the government’s anti-obesity strategy.

One source said: “Amanda made a brave and impassioned speech in which her frustration with government shone through. She also said that the words inequality and prevention are no longer spoken of in government/Department of Health and Social Care, but we in the NHS can and must continue to speak of them….”