Priscilla Alderson, professor emerita at University College London, has challenged the portrayal of a fall in NHS waiting lists as a government success. In a letter to the Guardian, she argues that NHS authorities paid providers £33 per patient to remove thousands from the lists, many of whom remain in great need. A survey of nearly 2,600 people in England found that 16% had used the private sector in the past year.
Questioning the government's narrative
Alderson contends that fewer names on waiting lists help the government appear to reduce backlogs and meet waiting time targets, but this masks the true state of the NHS. She also criticises the response to a record fall in immigration, urging instead a focus on the thousands of vacant NHS and care posts that urgently need immigrants to fill. Additionally, she highlights the missing overseas students who previously helped fund universities and build international networks.
Concerns over NHS privatisation
The professor also takes aim at Andy Burnham, who talks of nationalising water but does not question the outsourcing, privatisation, and PFI plans in the NHS. She asks how long the NHS will survive under a Burnham-Streeting government, expressing deep concern over the direction of health policy.
