Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, has warned about the future of the NHS, calling for decisive reforms to prevent the service from being “killed with kindness.”

In a passionate speech delivered at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Streeting described the NHS as “broken but not beaten,” blaming years of Conservative leadership for leaving it “totally unprepared for tomorrow.”

Addressing an audience on the final day of the conference, Streeting emphasized that his mission was to reform the health service, even if it meant difficult decisions. He made it clear that the government would prioritize patient care over protecting the NHS’s reputation.

“We won’t put protecting the reputation of the NHS above protecting patients,” he said firmly, referencing the findings of a recent independent review by Ara Darzi.

The report, published in September, painted a grim picture of the health service’s condition, pointing to increasing waiting lists and worsening public health. It concluded that the NHS is in “critical condition.”

Correct Prescription for a Critical Condition

Streeting acknowledged the harsh reality of the situation, stating: “I know the doctor’s diagnosis can sometimes be hard to hear. But if you don’t have an accurate diagnosis, you won’t provide the correct prescription.” He added, “And when you put protecting the reputation of the NHS above protecting patients, you’re not helping the NHS – you’re killing it with kindness.”

In response to the report, Streeting vowed to continue his efforts to reshape the NHS. He said, “I won’t back down. The NHS is broken but not beaten, and together we will turn it around.”

He outlined plans to introduce a “crack team” of senior doctors to implement reforms aimed at speeding up treatment and addressing the backlog of patients awaiting care. This move is also intended to combat rising unemployment and economic inactivity linked to ill health.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlights the scale of the issue. Approximately 2.8 million people are currently out of work due to health-related reasons, a figure that has surged by 500,000 since 2019.

Additionally, a report published earlier this month by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the NHS Confederation found that 85% of these individuals are suffering from long-term illnesses.

The rising cost of illness is not only impacting individuals but also straining public finances. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projects that spending on sickness and disability benefits will increase by £30 billion over the next five years.

Streeting explained that the reforms go beyond health, extending into economic recovery: “We’re sending crack teams of top clinicians to hospitals across the country to roll out reforms – developed by surgeons – to treat more patients and cut waiting lists,” he said.

He further announced that the first 20 hospitals to benefit from these teams will be in areas with the highest numbers of people off work due to sickness, aiming to address both health outcomes and economic inactivity.

“We will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, get sick Brits back to health and back to work,” Streeting concluded.

These reforms represent a significant step in Labour’s health and economic strategy, with Streeting determined to both revitalize the NHS and tackle the underlying issues contributing to long-term illness and unemployment.