Hancock promises to listen to health staff

THE Health Secretary will today launch “the biggest ever conversation” with NHS staff – after saying too little effort has been made to listen to their views.

Matt Hancock will pledge to create a new digital platform to provide an open channel of communication between health workers and the Government.

In a speech at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, he will promise to “reset” the relationship with NHS staff. He will be accompanied by his older sister Emily, whose life was saved there last year after a horse-riding accident.

He will thank staff “from the bottom of my heart”, and set out his “deeply personal” commitment to the NHS.

The new Health and Social Care Secretary, who replaced Jeremy Hunt in July, is keen to establish a positive relationship with staff.

Today, in a tacit acknowledgement of the tense relationship between Mr Hunt and the medical profession – which never recovered from the junior doctors’ strikes – he will say that the NHS has not done enough to make its workforce feel valued and supported.

The new digital platform, due for launch later this year, will allow staff to debate the priorities for the NHS, share concerns and feed into long-term policy planning.

Workers will be able to vote for ideas so that officials are able to gauge the strength of concerns around particular initiatives.

Mr Hancock is expected to say: “Millions of hardworking health and care staff turn up to work every day to meet any challenges tirelessly, with unending compassion.

“But they don’t just do this for money or other contract benefits.

“They do it to improve and save the lives of countless strangers, and in return it’s only right that they are valued, supported and developed.

“But too often health and care employers, despite the NHS being the world’s fifth largest employer, don’t get this right.”