NHS faces 'death by a million cuts' under Tory Government, says mental health nurse

22 May 2023, 14:55

By Anna Fox

Sir Keir Starmer pledged to reform the NHS if Labour won the next general election, marking his concerns by stating: "I don't think the NHS survives five more years of Tory government".

The NHS will be "beyond saving" if the Conservatives continue to mismanage the health service, says this mental health nurse to James O’Brien.

Concurring with the views outlined by Sir Keir Starmer, who stated in a speech highlighting Labour’s plans to reform the NHS, he said: "I don't think the NHS survives five more years of Tory government”.

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Emma reiterated her views to James, stating the NHS has suffered “death by a million cuts” adding, “literally cuts from the Tory government”.

Detailing her career to James, Emma said: “It's heartbreaking to think a job that I’ve spent my whole career doing, I would never encourage anyone to enter my profession now.”

Continuing, she said: “I don’t think any Tory government will be as brave to dismantle the NHS on their watch, I think 5 more years would result in a situation beyond saving.”

In a news briefing in Essex, Sir Keir said Labour's new targets for the health service would be part of a wider package of reforms if it is elected, with a focus on modernisation, hitting existing cancer targets, and cutting waiting lists.

Discussing current challenges plaguing the NHS, including “recruitment problems”, Emma said, “We put an advert out now and we get zero applicants routinely.

“We were already massively under-resourced, putting more pressure on the people already there, driving them to leave, and we're talking about things getting better in five years when we’ve trained a few more nurses, and it's not”.

If Labour succeeded at the next general election, Sir Keir promised the NHS would be "fit for purpose," with ambulances arriving within seven minutes for cardiac arrest, that four-hour waiting targets will be met in A&E and that GPs will have the highest satisfaction rate on record under a Labour government.