David Cameron used to
say that his priority could be summed up in three letters: NHS. Now, it
seems, he prefers not to talk about it.
The word in
Westminster is that, on the advice of Lynton Crosby, the Prime Minister has
asked his ministers for a period of pre-election silence on the NHS.
So the Queen's Speech
came and went without even a mention of Mr Cameron's erstwhile priority.
The list of reasons
why Mr Cameron no longer wants to talk about the NHS is growing longer by the
day.
The last week has
brought a stream of statistics confirming what many people suspect: the NHS is
heading downhill under his government.
First, we learnt that
the NHS missed its cancer treatment standard for the first time, leaving a
growing number of people waiting longer for the start of treatment and families
facing prolonged anguish.
Then, on Wednesday,
came news that the deterioration in cancer care was worse than we thought and
extended to people with suspected cancers waiting for tests.
Waiting times for
diagnostic tests are at a six-year high, with 17,000 waiting longer than they
should.
Thursday brought the
news that the number of people on NHS waiting lists had gone past the three
million mark for the first time in six years - highly embarrassing for a Prime
Minister who once said that the test of his NHS re-organisation would be its
effect on waiting times.
Finally, it was
revealed on Friday that A&E departments across the country are in the grip
of a summer crisis, with record numbers attending and tens of thousands waiting
too long to be seen.
The NHS overall has
now missed its A&E target for five weeks running; more worryingly, hospital
A&Es have not hit it 47 weeks.
A&E is the
barometer of the whole health and care system.
This barometer is now
clearly warning us that there are severe storms ahead for the NHS unless urgent
steps are taken to put it back on track.
Perhaps this explains
why, after a run of negative statistics, there were reports that the government
had resorted to panic measures to shore up England's hospitals.
Without any great
announcement, or even so much as a press release, it emerged that large amounts
of money are to be thrown at the NHS in a bid to keep further bad headlines at
bay.
It is not clear what
the government has decided because of the lack of a clear statement.
Some newspaper
reports this weekend said £650m in "new money" had been found, while
others believe it to be £250m.
Whatever the amount,
what is clear is that is that is unprecedented for a Prime Minister to have to
throw millions at a summer A&E crisis.
What is also clear is
that, right now, the NHS is in a very dangerous position.
All the signs show
that it is slipping into a serious condition but it has a government in charge
that is not prepared to talk about it. This is not good enough.
Minsters cannot be
allowed to take such significant decisions without any explanation of why they
are doing it or where the money is coming from.
Cameron must order
his ministers to come to the Commons early this week to answer these points.
Beyond that, there
must now be a proper debate about what is happening in the NHS, why it is going
wrong and what must be done to put it right.
The reason why David
Cameron is so desperate to avoid this debate at all costs is because it brings
him back to his biggest misjudgement as Prime Minister: allowing Andrew Lansley
to proceed with his ill-considered reorganisation.
He was explicitly
warned it would damage standards of patient care - and it has.
Throwing money at the
problems of his own making is no long-term solution for the NHS he has so
disastrously destabilised.
David Cameron's great
problem is that, though he thinks he can keep things quiet with a few bungs
here and there, the public can see for themselves what is happening.
They know it has for
much harder to get a GP appointments.
They are hearing the
stories of friends and family being told that they can't have the treatment
they need and facing the agonising choice of waiting in discomfort or paying to
go private.
The voters are on to
Mr Cameron and his damage to the NHS.
Worryingly for him, a
poll this week found that, for the first time in a long time, the NHS has risen
to the top of voters' concerns.
Storm clouds are
gathering over the NHS, but it is trapped in a situation where the government
of the day is not prepared to discuss them.
This won't do.
If they won't face up
to the problems in the NHS, it's time to make way for a government that will.
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