In his first speech as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said: “My job is to make sure you don’t have to wait three weeks to see your GP and we start work this week with 20 new hospital upgrades, and ensuring that money for the NHS really does get to the front line.”
He also promised to: “Fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve.”
Shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that Matt Hancock will keep his job as Health Secretary in the new Cabinet. He tweeted: “I love the NHS - it’s a great honour to be asked to drive forward the health & care of the nation - with big & exciting commitments from our new Prime Minister.”
More details of how the Prime Minister intends to fix the social care crisis and address the problems faced by the NHS have yet to be released. Nor is it clear what the PM’s position will be on capital funding. However, as the rhetoric begins, critics are skeptical that the doors will be opened to a US-style healthcare system, with Donald Trump’s recent comment that the NHS must be “on the table” in any future trade deal between the UK and the USA still echoing.
Responding to the speech, Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare system, said: “Today’s promise to fix the social care crisis once and for all will be music to the ears of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people left every day without the vital care and support they need.
“If the Prime Minister and his government can deliver a long term solution it will be among the most significant achievements of any administration in recent years. We look forward to engaging with the Prime Minister and his team through our Health for Care campaign to help bring an end to the crisis.
“However, we need more details of exactly how this will be achieved alongside other welcome pledges by Mr Johnson today to upgrade hospitals and to speed up waiting times to see GPs. The NHS urgently needs extra capital investment to improve the quality of our buildings, infrastructure and electronic patient records so it is encouraging to hear that this is high up his list of priorities. We will be writing to the new PM about this in the coming weeks.”
