A Suffolk MP has blasted the government's latest plans for the NHS as "a mere sticking plaster" as he called for the health service to be integrated with social care.
Earlier this month, health secretary and Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey set out her four priorities for the health service. She said: “We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists. And we’re going to work through that and we’ll make sure that we’re delivering for the patients."
Writing in the East Anglian Daily Times, Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dr Dan Poulter took aim at the plans drawn up by his constituency neighbour.
Dr Poulter, who works part-time as an NHS doctor, wrote: "I am deeply concerned by the lack of meaningful debate about the future of the health system.
"At its creation, the NHS was visionary. Three-quarters of a century later, facing unprecedented pressures, it is ill-equipped to cope with the dramatically different health needs of today’s population.
"As a doctor, I know that targets and league tables have consistently failed to positively change how health care is delivered or how patients experience care. If good healthcare was about targets, then the NHS would already be in great shape.
"The latest A, B, C, D approach, like many health policies before it, is a mere sticking plaster.
"It is now time for an honest conversation about how we improve the health of the nation and radically radical transform the delivery of health care for the benefit of patients."
Instead Dr Poulter, a former health minister, said "a meaningful move to community-based care is essential", adding that it would be driven by "proper integration of NHS with social care" and "a realistic workforce plan".
Last week, Dr Coffey defended her plans, saying: “Getting access to a doctor, getting access to a dentist, having an ambulance turn up on time rather than be stuck in terms of being stuck outside a hospital. Those are the things that matter when people need care the most and that’s what I’ll keep my focus on.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Health and Social Care Secretary is focused on delivering for patients and will do this by focusing on her ABCD priorities – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists.
“As we continue to bolster the GP workforce and deliver on our commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, we have also commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan.
“We’re making £500 million available to support discharge from hospital into the community and bolster the social care workforce. This builds on the plans set out in our Integration White Paper to reform and recover the health and social care system, ensuring everyone gets the treatment and care they need, when and where they need it.”
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