WORK FORCE I S SUE S
The IPPR argued that the COVID-19 pandemic has undone years of progress tackling other major illnesses and “if left unaddressed threatens to cause a decade of health disruption to prevention, diagnosis and treatments”.
The think tank calculated that just to recover the elective backlog and manage the mental health surge caused by the pandemic, the NHS budget needs an extra £2.2 billion per year for next five years. However, it urged the Government to “go further than just restoring the NHS to its already dangerously overstretched pre-pandemic level”. The think tank calculated that a further £10.1 billion of investment would be needed annually, on top of the £2.2 billion COVID-19 catch-up funding, to get the NHS in England back on course to meet its own NHS Long Term Plan objectives. The think tank’s latest report warns that, without a coherent workforce strategy, the the Government will struggle to ‘build back better’ and tackle the challenges ahead. It states that a ‘new deal’ needs to be established, focusing on three key areas: l Recover: Many have not taken leave during the pandemic or have lost access to flexible working. IPPR recommends a shift to flexible working by default; guaranteed rollover of all accumulated annual leave for the next five years; and a new NHS-wide compensation scheme that provides either additional time off in lieu or a pay bonus to staff who are refused annual leave on the dates requested.
l Reward: Not only is a substantial pay award fair after the pressures of COVID-19, but it would also support retention, the wider economic recovery and worker’s mental health. IPPR argues for a 5% average pay award, tilted in favour of the lower paid,
This report should act as a wake-up call to Government and force them to stop ignoring the warning signs of an exodus of nursing staff from the NHS. The reality of a failure to
properly invest in the nursing workforce is clear Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN chief executive and general secretary.
and a Government-subsidised living wage guarantee for social care workers.
l Renew: Progression is important to retention and IPPR argues skills developed during the pandemic should be formally recognised through a national certification scheme. IPPR also argues that the NHS must change its recruitment, training and progression processes to stamp out institutional racism.
In addition, the poll found that 7 in 10 healthcare workers identified pay as one of the most important issues for them right now. The polling also identified that a 5% minimum pay award was the most popular option among healthcare professionals (selected by 27% of respondents). IPPR’s NHS staff pay proposals are costed at £1.4 billion per year. Commenting on the findings, Dr. Parth
Patel, IPPR research fellow and NHS doctor, said: “The last 12 months have stretched an already very thin workforce to breaking point. Many are exhausted, frustrated and in need of better support. If the Government does not do right by them now, more may leave their jobs. “This should ring alarm bells for a Government that came into power pledging big increases in nursing numbers. It would have significant consequences for patient
safety and quality of care. The backlog of care is long and the pandemics’ disruptions will be felt for years to come. The hard road to renewal in health relies, first and foremost, on a new deal for NHS workers.” Chris Thomas, IPPR senior research fellow, added: “Healthcare workers need a new deal based on recovery, reward and renewal after a year of unprecedented pressure. A new deal for the workforce means a right to flexible working, a five-year guarantee for untaken annual leave and compensation when leave requests are rejected. It means a fair pay award, to help retain workers and to boost the economy. And it means more career progression and tougher action to end discrimination.
“Bad policy during the pandemic and during the austerity decade created our workforce crisis. Good policy can get us out of the crisis now. If that’s not forthcoming, the Government risks a deadly exodus of healthcare workers in the years to come.” Responding to the report, the Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive and general secretary, Dame Donna Kinnair, said: “This report should act as a wake-up call to Government and force them to stop ignoring the warning signs of an exodus of nursing staff from the NHS. The reality of a failure to properly invest in the nursing workforce is clear – not only on the ability to provide patient care but also on the welfare of those who have been pushed to the limit. “Ministers must now rethink their pay offer and put in proper support service for those who have given so much in the last year. Proper mental and psychological support services need to be made available to all nursing staff. Government must also step up to provide the funds for supported time out, not limited to annual leave, for all staff, to give them the time and space to recover. Failing to act on all of the warning signs will make recovery of the NHS a challenge that will place patient care at risk.”
CSJ
References 1 Institute for Public Policy Research, Recover, Reward, Renew 30 March 2021. http://www.ippr. org/research/publications/recover-reward-renew
2 Institute for Public Policy Research, The State of Health and Care, 16 March 2021
3
http://www.ippr.org/research/publications/state-of- health-and-care
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