Crisis Point: Implement Doctors' Solutions to Save the NHS Now
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
The NHS is facing its most severe crisis in living memory. Our hospitals are at breaking point, with A&E departments overwhelmed, dangerous ambulance delays, and critical bed shortages. As winter approaches, the triple threat of COVID-19, flu, and other viral illnesses threatens to push our healthcare system to collapse.
This is not just a crisis – it's an emergency that demands immediate action. Wes Streeting and Keir Starmer have the power and responsibility to implement urgent solutions to protect patients' lives and support our exhausted NHS workforce. Every day of inaction puts more lives at risk.
Stand with our NHS workers and speak up for patients. Sign and share this urgent petition demanding immediate action:
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To:
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Wes Streeting,
The NHS is in crisis. With dangerous understaffing levels, crumbling infrastructure, severe underfunding, and record-breaking waiting lists, immediate action is not just needed – it is essential for the survival of our healthcare system. While we acknowledge the scale of the challenge you inherited, we demand urgent implementation of practical solutions to address this emergency.
EveryDoctor's #RebuildTheNHS campaign, built from the contributions of over 400 frontline doctors, has already gained significant political traction. Through our Doctors' Manifesto and extensive engagement with 117 MPs, we have clearly outlined the critical changes needed to protect patients and support NHS staff. Our campaign's momentum and cross-party engagement demonstrate the urgency and validity of our demands.
As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, you must act now on the solutions proposed by NHS doctors. We demand your immediate engagement with our campaign and swift implementation of our recommendations.
While long-term challenges exist, these three critical actions must be taken immediately:
1. Implement an immediate exemption to GP practices for the higher employment costs created by the autumn budget. These costs are actively causing NHS jobs to be put at risk, threatening practice closures and compromising patient care.
2. Reform the punitive pension tax rules which are preventing senior NHS doctors from taking up extra work. This barrier to increasing workforce capacity is endangering patient safety and must be removed before winter pressures escalate further.
3. Deliver an immediate uplift in social care funding, which is critical to alleviate patient flow through the NHS, reduce bed-blocking and help patients leave hospital when they are well.
The entire Doctors’ Manifesto for the NHS is available here - https://everydoctor.org.uk/the-doctors-manifesto-for-the-nhs/ These comprehensive documents outline immediate, practical solutions that cannot be ignored. The current state of the NHS represents nothing less than a national emergency. We insist that you heed the recommendations of NHS doctors and act on our solutions without delay.
Lives are at stake. The safety of patients and the ability of staff to deliver adequate care hang in the balance. Delay is not an option. We are available to meet with you and your team within the next two weeks to discuss implementation of these crucial measures.
Yours,
The EveryDoctor team
And the undersigned: