Patients are being “belittled and bewildered” as access to NHS care is worsening, leading doctors have warned.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the Government wanted a world-class NHS but was only offering it a “third-class” financial settlement.
It said that the health service was at “breaking point” and concerns were being “wilfully ignored” by ministers.
The NHS was “running on fumes”, the BMA said, as it called on ministers to increase health spending to match that of other leading EU economies.
It comes after Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said in an exclusive interview with The Independent that the Government had failed to respond to clear and alarming signals another Mid Staffs hospital scandal was “inevitable”.
Ms Davies pointed to the collapse of foreign arrivals in the profession due to Brexit, chronic low pay and high stress, which was pushing people out. She sent ministers a “final warning” to take action or face nurses striking.
The Independent also revealed on Saturday how the number of GPs seeking specialist help for substance abuse and mental health problems is “increasing day on day”, amid rising levels of stress and burnout.
Article from The Independent, 25 June 2017