Rishi Sunak says there is no 'magic wand' to solve NHS pay dispute
30 January 2023, 10:59 | Updated: 30 January 2023, 13:59
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told health workers he would "love" to see NHS staff paid more but he does not want to raise taxes and is trying to "get a grip" on inflation.
Speaking during a visit to County Durham, the Prime Minister said: "I think we will see - in fact I know we will see - the largest and fastest-ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the NHS's history.
Answering questions from healthcare staff one nurse put the PM on the spot asking: "When are you actually going to pay nurses properly?"
Explaining the Government's position, Mr Sunak said he has got "enormous gratitude" for NHS workers and added: "I would love, nothing would give me more pleasure, than to wave a magic wand and have everyone, all of you, paid lots more, of course who wouldn't want to be able to do that."
But, citing the Independent Pay Review Body the PM said it wasn't the decision of the government.
"Why not more, is your question?" Mr Sunak replied, going on to detail other financial pressures facing the NHS.
However, referring to the topics covered by earlier questions, Mr Sunak said there are many other demands on the money.
The PM said it is "not an easy job" to "balance" where taxpayers' money is spent in the health service and there is only so much money available to be spent.
He said he does not "want to put any of your taxes up" and "where we are with taxes at the moment, we can't put them up any more and we need to be getting them down so that is what constrains me on one end".
Promises of thousands more hospital beds and 800 new ambulances are at the centre of a plan that the Government hopes will boost under-strain emergency care in the NHS.
Grim warnings about the severe pressure facing the NHS have dominated this winter, but Rishi Sunak said the "ambitious and credible" measures would help solve the issue.
Announcing the two-year plan for England, the NHS and Government said 800 new ambulances, including 100 specialist mental health vehicles, and 5,000 more sustainable hospital beds would be backed by a dedicated £1 billion fund.
A major element of the strategy is to expand urgent care in the community, keeping people away from under-strain hospitals and seeing them treated at home.
It will see same-day emergency care units, staffed by consultants and nurses, open in every hospital with a major A&E.
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Rishi Sunak has promised that the Government's plan for emergency care will deliver "the largest and fastest-ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the NHS's history".
"That is the ambition of our plan that we've set out today.
"I feel really confident we can deliver it."
Mr Sunak added that with the "hard work" and the "ingenuity" of NHS staff "we're going to fix this problem".
"We're going to improve things for patients and make an enormous difference to people up and down the country."
