Praise for the NHS can’t deflect from its problems

We have for a very long time had a culture that functions only in praise of those who work for the NHS.

While the vast majority of NHS workers are hardworking individuals devoted to serving the public and are deserving of praise, this culture has also framed any criticism of the NHS as hostile to the institution itself.

If you criticise our health system or anyone within it who takes advantage of their position you immediately become “anti-NHS” and a bad person.

Yet, as The Independent’s recent exclusive shows, many problems within the NHS stem from staff who believe they are untouchable in a system that doesn’t hold them to account. We need to be more discerning of our beloved health system, it isn’t perfect and praise won’t change that.

Philip Pound

Sydenham

Once again our regulators tasked with maintaining professional standards in order to protect the public are found wanting. In the recent past, there has been criticism of police professional standards, the General Medical Council, social work professional standards, and now the Nursing And Midwifery Council (NMC).

All have similar things in common; they were set up to address major failings in the professions in question and, by and large, brought about improvements in services. However, successive governments have sought to save money by reforming and amalgamating regulatory bodies to the point they have become ineffectual and pointless.

The NMC is responsible for maintaining fitness to practice by keeping education and training records for nurses but very rarely checks to ensure that they are accurate or up to date. Regretfully they are far too dependent on intelligence-driven investigations initiated by whistleblowing, to proactively manage a modern profession. A much higher profile in the workplace is required to enable objective assessment of emerging issues and properly appreciate organisational culture.

In my experience, it is the culture of an organisation that determines whether bad practice or wrongdoing can thrive and it is generally a function of poor management. In my opinion, the NMC should be proactively managing the profession, not sitting back and waiting for things to go horribly wrong. Regretfully that takes far more resources than any recent government is prepared to pay.

David Smith

Taunton

The Liberal Democrats have shown their hand in the quest for our vote – albeit a “prototype” manifesto. But nevertheless, it seems to me to be an unsubstantiated wish list rather than a statement of their intent to govern.

Hopefully, Ed Davey will provide flesh on the bone during the next few months. Keir Starmer’s Labour Party needs to differentiate their manifesto from the Tories’ by proposing a planned future from which people can actually benefit and improve their lives.

In my view, it is long past the time when the British people would tolerate legislation and time at a trough that only feeds the 1 per cent club. Labour must be bold and open as regards the future of Britain. Keir Starmer is ahead in the polls by a large margin but has to mature that lead into votes for a Labour government – and then the hard work begins to turn around our failing country.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke

The tired old excuses for the cancellation of HS2 are being rolled out again.

It is too expensive; it desecrates the countryside; why do we need a railway to shave a few minutes off time to travel between London and wherever?

These were the same arguments made when the railways were originally built, and yet the country has greatly benefited from them. Productivity depends on good infrastructure (any wonder why the UK’s is so low?) and many of the structures built in the mid-19th century are now considered beautiful and given heritage status.

HS2 is being built to a much higher standard than older railways – with far less environmental damage. The line is being built to increase capacity and if it needs to be built then why not build it to higher standards, for example with high-speed capabilities?

All countries building new high-speed lines have shown considerable benefits along the route and I feel sure HS2 will ultimately produce the same, when or if it is built.

Rob Alliott

Cambridge

Having started watching the leader of the Liberal Democrat’s speech, until I lost the will to live, I was left wondering if we’ve ever had three more simpering, uninspiring leaders as Keir Starmer, Ed Davey, and Rishi Sunak leading the UK’s political parties.

As the other two parties prepare to send in the clowns, it’s time to avoid the news as my intolerance to meaningless soundbites is already flaring up.

Richard Whiteside

Halifax