The NHS is broken. Those four words lack the need for any sort of elaboration – it is broken for those in government, it is broken for those working in healthcare, and worst of all it is broken for the British people it is supposed to serve. British people who time and again put their hard-earned tax money into frameworks riddled with bureaucracy, blocking them from systems which serve them in the way they are supposed to. Change at the top of the healthcare system could be a defining moment in creating a system which serves the people – however it has to be done correctly.
The beginning of this Labour administration has seen many questionable decisions made by the Prime Minister which I believe that many were fair to criticise. I also believe it is only fair that good governance is also acknowledged by critics, on the rare occasions it arises. Starmer’s decision to abolish NHS England could be a landmark one in ensuring the NHS returns to a clean bill of health.
The biggest challenge when attempting to root out bureaucracy in the public sector is tackling it in a way which does not result in even more bureaucracy being present from when you started. The current state of the NHS presents the biggest challenge any government could decide to take on. The decision in 2013 to create NHS England was made to try to tackle the issues in the system at the time, however it has resulted in the position that we’re in currently. That should serve as a warning for this government that the very same could happen to them if they are not careful.
The issue with putting the Department of Health at the helm of the NHS is that they, and especially the Secretary of State, are accountable for if these reforms do not work out. If the reforms are successful, Labour can run the next election on responsible governance, whereas if it goes abhorrently wrong (which has historically been a likely result when trying to fix the NHS), this could materialise into Labour’s self – destruct moment, such as that of the 2022 Tory mini – budget.
For the sake of the country, I hope these are the first steps in fixing the foundations of the NHS, as the Prime Minister puts it himself. There is no denying the tedious task this government has just taken on – which is definitely reason for why nothing has been done on this issue for some time. Labour understand that they are the party who has the political capital for radical reforms and that attempting this at the start of their term is the best course of action. Attempting it now gives them both adequate time to see results, as well as change their course of action if the plans do not bare fruit.
Opposition parties now need to come together to offer constructive criticism of healthcare reforms to create a system which works for those working in government, working in healthcare, as well as the British people. There needs to be a cross-party consensus on tackling this issue, or we still will be in the same position in a decade.
The biggest and most obvious objective of these reforms should be to balance the books and create efficient processes. For too long has taxpayer money gone into the endless blackhole of the NHS, in return for inadequate levels of healthcare. This is unfair on the healthcare workers who work tirelessly with the hopeless processes they have been given, as well as those who need to use it.
Starmer has not ruled out further cuts to underperforming quangos, however the Prime Minister must go ahead with caution. We have already seen that Labour are extremely flexible when it comes to their manifesto pledges, having already backtracked on multiple. Starmer now needs to not avoid an unforced error in which he by going too far with these cuts, with no mandate from the British people. These reforms could be the start of getting the NHS into a functional position, however it must be done with the necessary time to tackle an issue as complicated as it is – or it could end in even more turmoil.
