'How can we trust the PM to fix the NHS' asks James O'Brien after it's revealed Rishi Sunak receives private healthcare
22 November 2022, 11:54
James looks at the absurdity of a PM who is not a victim to the NHS's problems
James O'Brien questions: 'How can we trust this man to fix the NHS when he is not a victim of its problems?'
Following reports that Rishi Sunak receives private healthcare from a clinic that sees patients on the day of booking as well as availability on weekends and in the evenings, James O'Brien expresses his concerns over how the public are expected to trust the Prime Minister to fix the NHS.
James highlighted: "The problem is this, he is the Prime Minister and he is part of a clinic that charges £250 for a half-hour consultation that you can access whenever you want."
In the latest NHS England report, figures show that patients have to wait longer for appointments. 41.5% of GP appointments in September occurred on the day of booking, with 8% taking place on the following day. Approximately 19% of consultations took place between 2 and 7 days after booking, whilst 13.5% of patients waited up to 2 weeks.
James questioned: "How the hell can this man assume responsibility for the health service when he has no personal exposure whatsoever to the trouble in which it currently finds itself?"
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"When you look at the decline in patient satisfaction since 2010...I find it ridiculous that the PM who bleats endlessly about being from an NHS family does, not have to reply upon an NHS GP." Rishi Sunak's father is an NHS family GP and his mother ran her local chemist.
The Prime Minister refused to answer questions regarding his healthcare plan last week at the G20 summit that took place in Bali. He stated that it was "not appropriate" to talk "about one's family's healthcare".
James concluded: "The problem is this: how can we trust this man to fix the NHS when he is not a victim of its problems?"
In last week's Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced a £3.3billion increase in NHS funding in a bid to prevent the health service from collapsing this winter.
