Commenting on the final report from the Institute of Public Policy and Research’s cross-party commission on health and the economy published today (Tuesday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“Thriving public services are essential for a healthy economy and a fit nation. But if essential services are starved of funding and staff vacancy rates kept high, the results are plain to see. That’s the true legacy of the Tory years.
“Years of punishing austerity had a dreadful impact on the NHS, other essential services and the public too, as this report shows. Covid didn’t help but, in truth, the damage had been done long before then.
“With too few health workers to meet the growing demands of an ageing population, the result has been lengthy waits for NHS operations and treatment. This has left hundreds of thousands of working-age people languishing at home and an economy in the doldrums.
“The health of the nation won’t improve until the UK has a health and social care workforce with sufficient staff to make people well again, get the sick back to work and care for their elderly relatives.
“That means seeing essential services not as a drain on the public purse, but as a driver of economic growth. Get this right and everyone’s a winner.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 175158 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
