One would hope that the initial reaction to the grim state of affairs outlined in your special report would be one of abject horror and shock (‘Like a horrific board game’: 33 hours inside an NHS in crisis, 13 December). Instead, NHS workers from all over the country will read about these experiences with a great sense of familiarity and, to some degree, apathy.
As doctors, we have been shouting from the rooftops about the inability to retain staff and the impact of Covid mismanagement. We have repeatedly called for policies to improve staff retention (through greater pay and conditions) and increase recruitment – this has been ignored and the issue pushed further into the long grass.
Without such changes, the exodus of staff who are burnt out and feeling neglected will continue. There needs to be short-, medium- and long-term plans to immediately tackle retention and improve patient outcomes.
Dr Matt Kneale
Co-chair, Doctors’ Association UK
• Your special report is a stark reminder of how the crisis in the NHS is affecting people at all levels across the UK. But we must remind ourselves that parts of it are still providing superb service, despite the long-term run-down by successive Tory governments.
My wife’s treatment for terminal cancer has been exemplary at every level. Right from the support by our local GP, at diagnosis and now in my wife’s late stage; from the oncology teams at St Bartholomew’s (and surgical teams at the Royal London), who have never wavered in their support and guidance even across Covid. And now with the Islington palliative care team, which is supporting us brilliantly through very difficult times.
We are lucky to live in London and we know these services are not always as supportive in remote areas. But at the same time as calling out this and Conservative governments, we should remember that there are still dedicated health professionals trying as they may to deliver high-quality services to those in need, irrespective of the cost to themselves or the NHS.
Name and address supplied
• There is one factor your article overlooks. My 100-year-old mother was admitted to hospital last Wednesday. She was deemed medically fit for discharge on Thursday. But the hospital transport department refused to return her without a risk assessment of access to her home – due to take place the following Tuesday. We managed to borrow some equipment and circumvent the transport “rules”. A one-night stay could easily have turned into a five- or six-night stay, with no medical justification and a lot of distress for my mother. Reform of the arrangements for sending patients home is urgently needed.
Hilary Scannell
Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria
• I read with vested interest every word of your special report. I have family and friends working for our wonderful health service and they’ve all considered leaving due to the stress and pressure. We can blame Covid, but the decline of the NHS long preceded the pandemic. Evidently, 12 years of Conservative mismanagement has been equally damaging.
Rob Sharred
Tamworth, Staffordshire
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