Writing a column for Metro online, Dr Welch, former co-chair of the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), said its staff was the health service’s most-valuable resource.

But she said that after ‘years of disinvestment, poor workforce planning, rock bottom staff wellbeing and plummeting retention – we have a chronic workforce crisis’ as she put the NHS firmly on the election agenda.

Dr Welch was responding to an announcement by Wes Streeting that Labour planned to cut NHS waiting lists by asking staff to deliver  ‘40,000 more appointments a week through evening and weekend clinics’.

Staff pressures

She said: “In March 2024, there were the equivalent of 1,790 fewer fully qualified full-time GPs than there were in September 2015. In secondary care – as of December 2023 – there were 110,781 unfilled posts, which in itself piles the pressure on existing staff who are already doing their level best to stay afloat.

“With 7.54 million people now on waiting lists for treatment (3.23 million who have been waiting more than 18 weeks), and GPs delivering over 1.49 million appointments on average per day: NHS staff are already working to exhaustion.

“They are already doing the work of at least two people, covering unstaffed rotas, missing their weddings and time with their children. But let’s ask them to work more shall we?

“It seems our politicians are oblivious to the current experience of staff on the ground. While tackling waiting lists is a worthy goal – the idealism of these political promises may appeal to some voters, but these sound bites are not grounded in reality.”

Dr Welch, a GP and member of DAUK’s GP committee, reminded politicians that 1.5 million people work in the NHS in England.

Skilled NHS staff

“That is a lot of votes,” she said. “There are also a lot of skilled, knowledgeable professionals who have so much to offer our health service.

“Asking them to simply work harder, rather than recognising how difficult it already is to work within the NHS right now is not going to win an election, or solve this crisis. 

“Invest in the staff – pay them better, improve working conditions, eradicate box-ticking soul-crushing bureaucracy which takes time away from the actual job.”

Read Dr Welch’s column in full.

Dr Welch will be taking part in a briefing for prospective MPs on Wednesday 19 June to discuss the crisis in general practice and things that could be done to tackle it.

DAUK election briefing

The briefing, Why Can’t I See My GP? The Great British Paradox, is based on her book Why Can’t I See My GP?, a copy of which we sent to all 650 MPs in March.

Dr Welch will be joined in the briefing by colleagues from DAUK’s GP committee, including its chair Dr Lizzie Toberty, and members Dr Steve Taylor and Dr Sarah Jacques.

DAUK is asking people to invite the candidates standing in their constituency to attend the briefinf. Find out the candidates in your constituency at https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/

This election is vital to the future of the NHS.

Find out more about the briefing.

Become a DAUK member and support our work.

Each year, millions of people take part to focus on getting good mental health, and this year the theme is Movement: moving more for our mental health.

Everyone can get the mental health benefits of moving more, it’s all about finding what works for you.

Get involved by sharing your moments for movement for your mental health using the trends #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #MomentsForMovement

Find out more with the Mental Health Foundation.

If you’re struggling with your mental health and wellbeing it can be daunting to ask for help. You might not know where to turn or who to contact.

It’s important to remember that you are not alone and that support is there for you.

We have brought together mental health and wellbeing resources to support our members and medical professionals.

Click here to access them now through our website.

NHS Employers has published an FAQ in response to the changes to the immigration system announced by the Government.

A DAUK spokesperson said the changes caused “confusion, concern and heartache” among NHS staff and their families when they were announced by Home Secretary James Cleverly.

The spokesperson said the announcement was lacking in important detail and the language being used around the policy change has impacted international medical graduates (IMGs) already living and working in the UK, and those thinking of coming here.

In the announcement, the Government said it would “tighten the Health and Care Worker visa, which has seen a significant number of visas granted to care workers and their dependants, by preventing overseas care workers from bringing their dependants to the UK”.

NHS Employers said that these changes will only affect the care sector and not the NHS.

The Government also announced an increase in the minimum salary required for skilled workers from overseas – from £26,200 to £38,700 – and the more than doubling of income required for family visas – from £18,600 to £38,700.

These increases in salary thresholds do not apply to the Health and Care Visa route, NHS Employers said.

It also said that Health and Care Visa holders will continue to be exempt from paying the Immigrational Health Surcharge (IHS).

Read the NHS Employers changes to the UK immigration policy FAQs.

The DAUK spokesperson said: “We’re grateful for NHS Employers for clarifying many of the issues around the Government’s new immigration policy and what it will mean for people working in the NHS on a Health and Care Worker Visa.

“The Home Secretary’s announcement lacked important details about what it would mean for them and caused a lot of confusion, concern, and heartache.

“There’s no doubt that the language being used and that lack of information has had an impact on IMGs already living here and working in the NHS, and it’s bound to make people think twice about coming here in the future. 

“This at a time when there’s a staffing crisis in the NHS. There are thousands of vacant healthcare roles, and waiting lists continue to grow.

“We’re neither training enough staff nor retaining enough staff and our international colleagues are delivering vital care to people who need it.

“Without them things would be a lot worse.”

Dr Lizzie Toberty, DAUK’s GP lead, said the UK needed more GPs and quicker access to specialists and scans to improve cancer outcomes.

She was responding to Cancer Research UK’s cancer plan, which aims to prevent 20,000 cancer deaths a year by 2040.

Dr Toberty, a GP in the north east of England, said: “We have had more than a decade of austerity, cuts to services, and underinvestment, and an under-appreciation for the skill set that exists in primary care.

“GPs are constantly getting mixed messages. We’re told we need to reduce referrals and carry more risk in order to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, while at the same time being told we’re not doing enough to ensure early diagnosis.

“We currently have a shortage of GPs in the UK and urgently need sustained investment into primary care core funding – starting now – in order to increase their numbers and to create the conditions for patients to know and trust their GP.

“And we need the funding to enable GPs to have quick access to specialists and scans within hospitals.

“We need a whole system approach based on continuity of care with a GP and ease of access to investigations and specialists.

“The UK is no where near where it should be and without the funding and investment the UK will continue to see above average deaths from cancer.”

The Doctors Association UK (DAUK) has urged the new Health Secretary to work with healthcare professionals on the critical issues they’re facing.

DAUK welcomed Victoria Atkins MP to her new role and called on her to engage more effectively and meaningfully with frontline staff in the NHS.

Ms Atkins replaces Steve Barclay MP, who has moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

Ms Helen Fernandes, co-chair of DAUK, said: “Our primary aim is to ensure the NHS receives the support it needs to continue providing excellent care to patients across the country.

“During his tenure, Steve Barclay failed to address several critical issues raised by healthcare professionals.

“Our concerns regarding pay, working conditions, and the regulation and scope of roles such as physician associates and anaesthesia associates were not adequately met.

“These issues are paramount in ensuring the quality and safety of patient care, as well as maintaining the morale and retention of healthcare staff.

“We call on Victoria Atkins to prioritise these concerns and work collaboratively with the DAUK and other healthcare bodies.

“Our focus remains steadfast on protecting the NHS and ensuring it remains a world-leading healthcare service.

“We stand ready to engage in productive dialogue and action to achieve these goals.”

The A&E doctor 
8am I arrive for my sixth 12-hour shift in the emergency department this week — and I have already worked 54 hours. Today is a bank holiday, but there is no holiday for us. In fact, on a bank holiday I will be the lowest paid member of staff in the hospital. This isn’t overtime or a busy week, it is standard for a junior doctor.

As I walk through the door the consultant asks me to attend the resuscitation bays — there is a cardiac arrest en route and we have six minutes to prepare. Doctors and nurses gather equipment for what could be anywhere from a few minutes’ to a few hours’ work.

Paramedics enter and hand over. Tragically the 52-year-old father of two has been in arrest for more than an hour. It takes just a few minutes to confirm his passing. The consultant takes me to speak with the family and the corridor is filled with agonised screams.

There is no time to recuperate and let the trauma settle. There are already 79 patients in the department — well over capacity — with some waiting eight hours overnight. Our 12 monitored cubicles are full and the corridors are packed beyond capacity. There are seven or eight ambulances waiting, with some crews there for hours.

By the time my shift ends, I have seen close to 10 patients, on average one an hour. In that time, as a team, we have seen more than 10 times that but there are now 80 patients in the department.

The pace is relentless; the strain upon doctors never greater. Not only are traumatic experiences ever present, but they are now accompanied a fear of mistakes and constant agonising over decisions made under pressure.

On days like these I wonder whether the hard work is worth it. I am underpaid, and working endless nights and weekends takes its toll on relationships. Missed weddings, missed first steps of my 14-month-old daughter. 

Read the full article in The Times

listen to Matt speak to Times Radio here

It’s been announced by Sajid Javid that hospitals will no longer provide free car parking to the very staff who have tirelessly kept the NHS running for the past two years. Staff are essentially being made to pay this extra tax for car parking in order to prop up NHS Trusts as the government are not prepared to fund it properly. What’s worse, is that most parking spaces are run by private companies, despite being on NHS trust property, resulting in nonsensical profiteering.

This represents another huge blow to the morale and welfare of NHS workers.

Bringing a car to work is a necessity for many – not only for personal safety, but because of out of hours working and because some staff, such as doctors, are moved between hospitals far from home (and public transport) every few months.

The Doctors’ Association UK and Dr Meenal Viz, say enough is enough. We have launched a campaign supported by Socialist NHS, EveryDoctor, Keep Our NHS Public, Nursing Notes and Project S NHS – On behalf of all healthcare workers, to remove this additional tax on those who saved so many lives and continue to fight tirelessly for our NHS.

How you can help

Reducing the use of PCR tests will compromise the UK’s capacity to detect new coronavirus variants and put lives at risk, leading scientists have warned.

The Government is expected to announce the end of free Covid-19 testing for millions of people as part of its “Living Safely With Covid” strategy, due to be published next week.

Officials want to cut the ongoing costs of the pandemic as cases and deaths continue to fall. The changes are expected to come into force next month.

Healthy adults would no longer be eligible to order free lateral flow tests (LFT) on the NHS and PCR testing is expected to be limited to older adults and the clinically vulnerable, such as the 1.3 million people at highest risk from the virus. However, public health experts have raised concerns with the planned changes.

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, said: “Living with Covid doesn’t mean ignoring the virus and letting our guard down. We still have high levels of infection in the UK and the pandemic continues to rage across the globe.

“We need to find a new normal where we maximise our freedoms while recognising that Covid will always be present rather than trying to return to a pre-pandemic world where Covid doesn’t exist.

“As long as the virus continues to spread and replicate, particularly in populations who are under-vaccinated, it will throw up new variants and these will remain a continual threat even to those countries with high rates of vaccination. Reducing the use of PCR will compromise our capacity to detect these new variants.”

The UK has been a world leader in its Covid-19 testing capability having carried out more than 463 million since the start of the pandemic. More than one million LFT and PCR tests a day have regularly been conducted this year, with the number dropping to less than 800,000 this week as cases fall.

Professor Young said: “You can’t control virus infection if you don’t know where the virus is spreading. This means planning for future surges of infection by ensuring we have the ability to rapidly detect outbreaks with targeted approaches to test, trace and isolate.

“Key to this is maintaining free access to lateral flow tests for all those with symptoms. The pandemic isn’t over and, if we’ve learned anything over the last two years, it’s that the impact and future of Covid-19 will remain unpredictable.”

Another 46,186 Covid cases were recorded in the UK on Tuesday, according to official Government figures – although a more accurate study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates the true number to be much higher.

The sharp difference in totals reflects the increasing limitations of the Government figures, which count only those people who have reported themselves as having tested positive for the virus. By contrast, the ONS figures are based on analysis of nose and throat swabs taken from a representative sample of more than 150,000 people in private households.

Separate ONS figures published on Tuesday revealed that Covid-19 deaths fell for the second week in a row in England, although they rose in Wales.

Dr Jonathan Stoye, of The Francis Crick Institute, accused the Government of “being driven by politics and economics rather than being driven by the science” in its response to the pandemic.

He said: “Even though the pandemic may appear to be ending, it has not yet ended. There are no guarantees that new, more pathogenic variants will not emerge. Despite the successes of vaccination, many people are still at risk. Any significant reduction in testing will jeopardise lives and compromise our ability to monitor the appearance of new variants.”

Dr Matthew Bigwood, an anaesthetist and spokesman for Doctors’ Association UK, said: “Given the lack of preparation around testing on all waves so far, can the Government show they are doing this to plan for future waves? Test and Trace failed each time. What will be different next time, especially in the light of not having started the Covid inquiry yet to identify previous mistakes?”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the Government had made “no decision” on changes to the current testing regime but that the policy was being kept “under review”.

He told LBC: “If we are in a better place with Covid there is no need to keep the same offer of testing forever, but testing will continue to play an important part in tackling Covid.”