Panto character can’t resolve split
The Brexit dividend for the NHS has proved to be a fantasy, says John Dean
TWO visits to the South West in two weeks, to what do we owe the honour Mr Johnson? First stop, Cornwall with photo opportunities at the bedside of selected patients at Treliske Hospital in Truro. Then on to Torbay, with another hospital visit where the PM acted up as a housekeeper delivering the patients’ meals. Ever the showman, Boris eagerly posed for selfies with the excited crowd. Such is the state of politics in the UK nowadays, it seems that the cult of celebrity trumps the cult of competence.
Where next? Who can say, because these visits are a closely guarded secret. Most of the staff at these hospitals, including senior nurses and doctors, were kept in the dark. The same happened last year when Jeremy Hunt, then the health secretary, paid a visit to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital in Exeter, only a selected group of senior managers and clinicians were told in advance of his visit.
‘Security measures’ are the official reason for the stealth, but since these visits are largely publicity stunts, it is much more likely the secrecy stems from fear the visits would be disrupted by demonstrations. Not everyone shares the PM’s confidence the NHS will thrive in post-Brexit Britain and many are prepared to shout about it.
During his recent visits he said: “The most important task we have now as a government is to come out of the EU by October 31”, later adding: “Since entering Downing Street, my focus has been clear: to make sure our world-class NHS has everything it needs to continue pro
viding the very best frontline care”. Shortly afterwards he backed this up by announcing a massive cash injection for the beleaguered NHS. Later that same day it became apparent that £1 billion of the extra £1.8 bn promised was not extra money after all. The cash had been saved by NHS trusts by cuts in services and they have now been granted permission to spend it on capital projects.
It has been clearly established that all forms of Brexit will damage the NHS and the harder the Brexit, the worse the outcome. The government’s own ‘yellowhammer’ assessment warns that NHS medicines will be subject to “severe extended delays”. The paper reports patients, such as children with cancer and diabetics, would be put at risk.
The burden on the NHS will be further stretched when reciprocal healthcare arrangements with EU member states cease on November 1. Up to 260,000 British nationals living in the EU — many of them pensioners — are expected to return to Britain if there is a no-deal Brexit. And to top it all, there is a distinct possibility that the profitable parts of the NHS would be up for sale as part of a post-Brexit trade deal with the USA. In short, the Brexit dividend for the NHS promised at the 2016 referendum has proved to be a pure fantasy.
The Royal College of Physicians, along with 16 other signatories, have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister stating: “The public rightly expects candour from us, and we are simply unable to reassure patients their health and care won’t be negatively impacted by the UK’s exit from the EU”. Dismiss this as a group of elite ‘remoaners’ indulging in fear-mongering if you wish, but I can personally testify that the medical Royal Colleges are always precise and measured in their public statements. For them, this message is as strong as it gets.
But still the PM promotes his ‘do or die’ exit from the EU on Halloween. And now he has obtained royal assent to bypass parliamentary scrutiny to achieve his aim. He exhorts us to ‘believe in Brexit’, like a pantomime character encouraging us to believe in fairies otherwise Tinkerbell will die.
He seems unable to see the harm that will inevitably occur by pursuing this policy despite the fact that many are shouting; “it’s behind you”. Also, it is possible he may call a vote of no-confidence in himself in order to secure a general election, the pantomime equivalent of throwing a custard pie in your own face.
The 2016 referendum has split the nation in two. With both sides still deeply entrenched in their position, it is difficult to see a solution that would appease both sides.
Is Boris the man to resolve the bitter division, unite the country and heal the wounds? Oh no he isn’t.
John Dean is a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. The opinions expressed are his own.