Siobhan Baillie says she will keep fighting for the NHS (SNJ “I will keep fighting for the NHS” 11 January 2023), but will she be fighting with one hand behind her back? She says that everything should be on the table, but does this include a better offer to the nurses? A slightly colder winter may have put pressure on the NHS, but it would have coped had government done something in the last ten years to address the shortage of nurses and doctors. The exodus of staff from the NHS is the real threat to its continuation. Many hospitals are very near to breaking point. Further loss of staff could lead to collapse.

The reason why many nurses are leaving their profession is that they can find more congenial employment elsewhere; better paid and less stressful. If the NHS is to survive, this problem must be addressed and a pay level must be agreed which not only stops the exodus, but leads to its reversal. And, as staff levels increase, the problem of stress is reduced. The job becomes more satisfying.

We are told that an increase on what has been offered to nurses is unaffordable. This crisis threatens to be worse than Covid, when billions were found to tackle the problem. A good health service is essential for a well-functioning society. Without it, apart from the misery that would be experienced by many, productivity would be reduced owing to an increase in sick leave taken and poorer performance when at work.

If the NHS were to collapse, we would have to rely on the private sector, in which case it would be like going back to the thirties and an even greater need for “levelling up”. Do we want that?

Stephen Moore

Stroud