Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a new NHS Intensive Recovery programme targeting five struggling trusts, marking a significant step in addressing chronic underperformance within the health service. The initiative, set to begin in April 2024, will focus on trusts at the bottom of NHS league tables, characterized by longer waits, financial problems, and high leadership turnover.
Key Takeaways
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched an 'Intensive Recovery Programme' targeting five underperforming NHS trusts starting April 2024. Resident doctors in England are planning a six-day strike from April 7 over pay disputes, rejecting the government's offer of a 3.5% pay rise. Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen slightly but remains low, particularly among younger people.
The trusts included in the programme are North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH), Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG), and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. Streeting emphasized that these trusts face deep-rooted challenges, including structural constraints and financial imbalances, which require decisive action.
The programme will involve sending in experienced leaders to underperforming areas, potentially merging or separating trusts, and providing funding for crumbling estates. Speaking at the University of East London, Streeting stated, "Failure has been tolerated for too long. Staff know it. Patients feel it. And I won't stand for it." He further noted that high-performing trusts are masking chronic underperformance in other parts of the country.
The announcement comes as resident doctors in England plan a six-day strike starting April 7, following breakdowns in talks between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government. The BMA rejected a government offer that included a 3.5% pay rise for 2026/27, additional training posts, and reimbursement of exam fees, describing it as insufficient to address pay erosion and job shortages.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticized the BMA's expectations as "beyond reasonable and realistic," highlighting that doctors have received nearly 30% in pay rises over the past three years. The strike, set to be one of the longest in the ongoing dispute, is expected to disrupt thousands of appointments and operations, with potential costs to the NHS estimated at up to £300 million.
Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the first time since 2019, but remains low overall. The latest British Social Attitudes survey shows that while dissatisfaction has dropped by 8%, it still stands at a high 51%. Satisfaction is particularly low among younger people, with only one-in-five under 35 expressing satisfaction compared to over a third of those aged 65 and over.
Despite the improvements, experts warn that the recovery is fragile. Long waits for GP appointments, A&E services, and hospital care continue to be major sources of public frustration. Streeting acknowledged the progress but emphasized that there is still "a lot of road ahead" in improving the NHS.
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