should the government be ashamed

AGAA4

They should be ashamed but they aren't. It's the fault of the strikers that things are so bad according to this government.

This is the same argument Putin is putting forward for invading Ukraine

Nurses have been underpaid all my working life. I know I was one. This Tory government are doing everything in their power to get rid of the National Health Service.

Yes, of course, but Tories are beyond shame. They live in a bubble where shame does not exist.

The Tory party have been in power for many years. They have failed to sort out social care - and this would solve many of the ills of the NHS - and they have failed in workforce planning, which has led to a shortage of doctors and nurses. You have to plan ahead - it takes years to train people. It saves money in the short term (only) if you cut down on training health care professionals. There is so much more. They need to pay people who are working long hours in hugely challenging circumstances decent money. People are leaving the NHS - reluctantly - because they cannot afford to go on working there. It's high time for a change and decent values in government.

Inflation was going up before any strikes, so they can't blame it on the strikers. The government are meant to govern and sort stuff out. I don't think you would get the CEO of a successful company abdicating responsibility.

The government should be ashamed, yes, but it is something they are incapable of unfortunately. Dreadful group of people - and they are 'running' our country. Horrendous.

With the postal workers, it isn't all about pay. The company wants to make 9000+ permanent staff redundancies, when they employ 11000 agency workers. They want to change basic shift patterns so the posties work completely different hours, depending on what day it is, and to include Sundays.

I M O the government wants to sell off the NHS to American healthcare companies . 1. This will subsidise american share holders 2 Government supporters will get shares. 3. We will have to pay insurance. 4 The government will be able to wash their hands of any responsibility

This government stinks. I live in Cumbria and I can smell it from here! I’m not one for commenting on political issues, I don’t really know enough about it, but I do believe we’re all being treated like fools. Surely it can’t carry on. Our nurses, ambulance workers along with all who are striking, are doing it for a reason. Nurses using food banks to get by! Outrageous!

I don't know about them being ashamed, they should be all locked up and made to pay for all the problems they have caused and all the lies they have told.

My DGS aged 2was rushed to A&E on Drs orders, with a chest, throat and ear infection, reaction to Amoxycilin and extreme temperature. He was trialed within an hours than had a 9 hour wait to see a Dr. They eventually discharged themselves at 3 am after being told there were no beds, and his Mum would have to sit in a chair all night, holding him. Not the fault of the staff, but 3 Dr's for an entire regional hospital at the height of Strep A.

The government should be totally ashamed - but I've never met a Conservative MP who has that ability. Having come from a strong CONservative seat I've met a few, sadly.

No mention of the war in Ukraine I notice, which has pushed fuel prices up, and is a major cause of our inflation. No mention nurses already had a pay rise which I agree does need topping up but to the amount they want? It just isn’t practical at the moment. As for working 12 hour shifts this has been going on for years and years. The NHS spends millions of pounds on inclusivity officers. Agency nurses were in use over 40 years ago. Successive governments have failed to do anything about it.

The latest is that the Conservative Government were putting pressure on the independent Honours Committee to hand out honours. It was to Tory donors. Rather like Boris handed out a peerage to his Brother and Zac Goldsmith. His brother who actually resigned from Boris’s Government and Zac who allowed Boris to holiday in his holiday home but failed to get elected to Richmond Park.
And check out Baroness Mone, A Tory peer who has made millions from PPE. She has had the Tory Whip removed. Ugh the corruption is unbelievable.

We desperately need an election.

I don’t think things have ever been so bad

I’m so relieved that most people here are supportive towards the strikers. It’s clear much of the press is in the government’s pocket and determined to turn the public against them. It’s the oldest trick in the book; divide and conquer.

Spent few days in hospital couple of years ago & was disgusted by the hours that the Nurses had to work! They never seem to be praised by the government only blamed for all the things wrong with the NHS! One girl worked her 12 hour shift then because another Nurse called in sick she was asked to do overtime to cover! She agreed as she said she needed the money. She was dead on her feet but carried on doing a night shift after her 12 hour long day shift! The Nurses,Ambulance staff etc need to be paid more as they are worth 100+ times what they are paid now! We rely on them but the government have their private health policies looking after them so have no idea what normal people have to do to earn a wage that is not enough to live on! Any party in government now or in the near future will have no idea of what life is like for any of the normal people working in the NHS! They are all wealthy & have no idea what ordinary life is like! Pay the NHS what they are worth do not allow America to take it over!

On Facebook today a friend had posted a long message from an A&E doctor about the lack of beds, the lack of doctors and nurses, and the lack of GPs and saying the government should be doing far more. I thought it was a description of how bad things are post Covid but in fact it was written in 2017 when the Tories had no excuse and presumably had all that money saved by Brexit to finance it?

My granddaughter is a nurse and she has been working 12 hour shifts for years. Not in the UK,either. It seems to be a problem everywhere, especially since Covid. We also have a lack of doctors and nurses .

Calendargirl

Sounds like we had better hunker down in bed all day tomorrow, and not risk doing anything!

I'm not so sure about that because I understand that the most likely place to die is in your bed!

I could agree if people admitted that no politician dares to change the way the NHS is run. It is reportedly the largest emplyer in Europe. Organisation of such a behemoth enterprise is extremely difficult. Every government since it’s formation have thrown money at the NHS but it is never enough. These days nurses have degrees and in my experience staying quite a few periods in hospital nurses aides do a lot of the daily grind of taking vitals and answering patients calls. Nobody seems to mention previous efforts to open more hospitals such as the private finance initiative during the reign of Tony Blair. He had the best of intentions but Trusts were left with huge debts to service.

I do agree that the various trusts seem unable to keep costs under control or do not have the best methods of organisation. I was a volunteer at a very large well known hospital. I wanted to help patients who had no visitors and become useful to elderly people with early Mental health issues. I attended a course and got a certificate but most of my time was taken up making up trays and delivering meals to patients. Many patients were dozing or unable to feed themselves but I was told firmly not to try to help them to eat so many meals were left untouched. I was never used to be of real help to patients and I found it very frustrating. I just wish that people would realise that it is not the fault of any one government but of all governments who do not have the guts to accept that the NzHS is not the best in the world so why don’t we accept that we need a very different way of organising healthcare?

It’s the oldest trick in the book; divide and conquer.
I'm well aware of the use of this strategy.
Just because I don't agree with striking now doesn't mean I'm on the government side - at all.

And yes WWM we desperately need rid of this bunch. I've just looked and the next GE is 2025!

No! We gave t hit the money to give the nurses a 19% pay rise. It will send our taxes, on our already stretched pay packets through the roof. That will encourage more strikes, prices will go up to pay for extra wages and then it will all go full circle. High earners whose taxes we need would then move abroad to a country where they will pay less tax. Remember the brain drain??? I wish I earned even a junior nurse’s salary but I don’t! It’s tough for us all and we just have to help each and be realistic. By the way I’m just about to start Chemo after Xmas. Don’t fancy my chances but hey ho I’m obviously not important or nurses wouldn’t put my life in jepody.

That should be ‘we haven’t got the money’

Sorry and I know I am about to castigated but I truly believe this a political fight to bring the government down. I see the nurses in Scotland hsve refused 8%

Ali23

I truly believe that the strikers have no choice. Its not just about pay. It’s about all of our safety too.
This government and those preceding it have so much to answer for.
Public services have been eroded for far too long.

There is always a "choice"