- “Leaking ceilings”, “staff working out of portacabins”, and wards in “desperate need of improvements” – NHS intensive care nurse speaks out.
- Greens pledge £22bn capital investment to bring crumbling NHS hospitals, primary care buildings and outdated equipment up to modern standards
- Greens accuse Labour of “holding the door open” to the private sector and offer cast iron guarantee to oppose privatisation of the NHS
The Green Party is today calling for an additional £22bn capital investment to bring crumbling NHS hospitals, primary care buildings and outdated equipment up to modern standards. This comes as the King’s Fund warns that without action, we will inevitably continue to have a ‘deteriorating NHS estate increasingly unfit for purpose’.
Green Party co-leader, Carla Denyer, said: “No other political party is being honest enough with voters – the very fabric of our NHS is crumbling and must be repaired and rebuilt.
“The NHS is stretched to breaking point and so we are offering a package to train and retain staff and cut waiting lists, but we also need to recognise that we are asking over-worked staff to cope with outdated equipment and poor buildings.”
Rachel Birch, an intensive care nurse with 12 years’ experience in the NHS, added, “I’ve seen leaking ceilings in our intensive care unit, staff having to work out of portacabins, and wards in desperate need of improvements and modernisation.
“The buildings that we use treating patients are old and inadequate for use.
“Our department cares for critically ill patients needing maximum support that deserve the best facilities and treatment.”
Green MPs elected on Thursday would press for:
- £22bn in capital investment over the next five years to bring our crumbling hospitals and old equipment up to standard
- Including, a one off £2bn capital investment in primary care buildings, £1.1bn annually assigned to clear the maintenance backlog and £3bn a year to be spent on hospitals.
- This £22bn capital investment fund will sit alongside a £30bn revenue expenditure that will see people accessing an NHS dentist, working towards GP appointments on the day of need for those in high need and significant uplift in pay for frontline staff.
Denyer added: “We know the importance of the NHS.
“The Conservatives promised 40 new hospitals and failed to deliver.
“Labour promises to hold the door open to the private sector.
“It is only the Greens who are offering a cast-iron guarantee to push back against the creeping privatisation of the NHS and rebuild it, so it is fit for the future.
“Our Green guarantee to protect the NHS from privatisation, combined with today’s announcement, represents the real hope for our crumbling NHS.”
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