Doctors’ demands

The first results from the 2021 census indicate that the population of the UK is now around 67million. It has grown slightly more slowly over the past 10 years than in the previous decade but the proportion of older people has increased at a faster pace. These figures are close to the projections made by the Office for National Statistics so come as no great surprise, and yet they are startling nonetheless.

Not that long ago the population was expected to decline because the birth rate was below replacement levels. But people living longer, combined with high levels of immigration, have countered that trend. The consequences have been profound on the provision of public services such as healthcare, housing, transport and education. It has not been possible to maintain the spending needed for such a large population.

With the economy feeling the chill winds of an approaching recession and elevated inflation, groups of workers are agitating for higher pay from funds that simply no longer exist after the vast outlay on Covid. The British Medical Association is demanding a 30 per cent rise for doctors over five years which, if conceded to, would also have to be paid to nurses and other health staff, soon eating up the extra cash pumped into the system by raising National Insurance contributions. That money was supposed to be redirected to social care after a few years, so where will the funds for reform in that sector come from?

A pay rise must be linked to reforms that will markedly improve productivity and efficiency. Given the parlous state of the NHS, the BMA should be focusing on how to arrest its total collapse, not just asking for more money.