Responding to the Conservative party’s 2019 election manifesto, published today, BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said:
“Right now, the NHS is on a cliff-edge. In the short-term, both doctors and patients look set to endure the worst winter on record, with hundreds of thousands of patients waiting too long to receive vital treatment in Britain’s hospitals and GP surgeries over the coming months.
“Without vastly increased investment in, and support for, the health service and staff, future years will see the situation deteriorate further. The next government has an opportunity to change this and put right the damage done by more than a decade’s underinvestment, and put the NHS back on sustainable long-term footing. Therefore, it’s incredibly disappointing to see in this manifesto the commitment to increase health spending does not meet the level needed to ensure services are fit for the future.
“And with no new detailed plan to solve the crisis in social care, there is an obvious knock-on effect for the whole health system.
Complete statement on BMA website, 24 November 2019