NHS Providers responds to Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s speech

Responding to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s speech at Labour Party conference today, Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers said:  

“There have been many big NHS ‘reforms’, but there is no magic bullet to fix the complex challenges the health service faces.

“The remedy will require sustained investment, an end to chronic workforce shortages, more support to meet growing demand and a resolution to ongoing industrial disputes.

“With 1.9million people on growing waiting lists for mental health care, Labour’s proposal to increase mental health support, including for children and young people, is of course welcome.

“However, this plan – as with all others – needs to be backed by proper staffing and infrastructure. We await the details of this.

“Similarly, a social care workforce plan should help ensure the sector, just like the NHS, is better equipped to manage rising demand from an ageing population with more complex needs.

“Trust leaders will welcome the promise of better investment in public health. This not only makes economic sense but would ease pressure on the NHS and ensure a healthier, happier population.”