Tom Swarbrick questions NHS management after hospital photo scandal
9 December 2019, 23:49 | Updated: 10 December 2019, 16:13
Tom Swarbrick says NHS managers need to take more responsibility for what happens within the health service's hospitals.
The LBC presenter says that when, for example a hospital has "not got enough pillows... the first port of call to answer that question has to be the people running it".
He highlighted the six-figure salaries paid to many senior managers within the NHS.
He said: "It can't be that everything on ground level is the fault of the government, of any colour. There's a big, big gap in the middle.
"I'm not saying the government is absolved of responsibility either. But if we're not looking at the people who are managing these hospitals, then great, we don't need them, let's save the money.
"It is entirely their responsibility for the day-to-day management of a hospital."
He was speaking at the end of a day during which Boris Johnson has faced criticism for his reaction to a photo showing a four year-old boy with suspected pneumonia who had to sleep on the floor of a hospital.
Tried to show @BorisJohnson the picture of Jack Williment-Barr. The 4-year-old with suspected pneumonia forced to lie on a pile of coats on the floor of a Leeds hospital.
— Joe Pike (@joepike) December 9, 2019
The PM grabbed my phone and put it in his pocket: @itvcalendar | #GE19 pic.twitter.com/hv9mk4xrNJ
The Prime Minister was showed the picture featured on Monday's Daily Mirror by a reporter during a campaign event, but took ITV News' Joe Pike's phone and put it in his pocket instead.
Tuesday's edition of the Daily Mirror (below) features a picture of a baby laying on a chair with only her mother's cardigan as a blanket, within an NHS hospital.
Tomorrow's front page: Here's another picture you won't want to look at, Mr Johnson #tomorrowspaperstoday https://t.co/LBkjpf20MX pic.twitter.com/JaCRaYozWK
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) December 9, 2019
