The RCP has responded to polling by the Health Foundation and Ipsos showing that only 12% of the UK public agree their government has the right policies for the NHS.
In response to the polling, Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “The Health Foundation and Ipsos polling published today shows that the public is fully aware of the current struggles the NHS is facing. Their top priorities for the NHS – addressing workload pressures and increasing staff – are spot on.
“Even before the pandemic, almost half of advertised consultant posts in England and Wales went unfilled. When COVID-19 struck, NHS and social care staff faced soaring demand for care that they struggled to meet. The pressure was, for many of them, more than they’d ever faced in their careers.
“The fact is, we need more staff. But exactly how many more staff we need is a question that the government is yet to answer. There are currently no public data that tell us whether we are training and retaining enough doctors, nurses, social care staff and other healthcare professionals to deliver services in future.
“The Health and Care Bill currently being debated in parliament is a chance to put this right and ensure that regular independently-verified assessments of current and future workforce numbers are published. All successful organisations rely on long-term workforce planning to ensure that they can meet demand. With the responsibility of people’s care in its hands, it’s shameful that the NHS and social care system is currently an exception.”