Robert Jenrick has outlined his plans for NHS reform (Image: Getty)
More patients should be able to see family doctors, failing NHS managers must be sacked and social care workers paid more, Robert Jenrick has declared.
The Tory leadership candidate, setting out his plan for NHS reform, admitted his party didn’t “manage the big structural” changes required during their time in Government.
And he said “social care reform eluded us” while in office.
Outlining his vision for the NHS and social care in the UK, amid a bed-blocking crisis, long waiting lists and concerns over productivity, Mr Jenrick conceded the health service has been treated like a “religion”.
Robert Jenrick says poorly performing NHS managers should be sacked (Image: Getty)
He told the Daily Express: “In opposition we must become laser-focused on the productivity reforms required to improve patient care.
“That means fully harnessing the latest technological developments which simplify life for frontline staff so they can spend more time doing what they do best – looking after patients.
“It also means removing the bad managers who let hard-working staff and patients down.
“Over 90 per cent of NHS organisations did not fire a single manager in an entire year for poor performance. We should be weeding out bad management and replacing them with strong leaders, just as we did with our school reforms.”
Too many patients feel unable to be seen by a doctor they know and trust, Mr Jenrick added.
Lord Darzi, in a scathing review into the state of the NHS, said: “GPs are seeing more patients than ever before but, with the number of fully qualified GPs relative to the population falling, waiting times are rising and patient satisfaction is at its lowest ever level.”
And Mr Jenrick said: “Too often the NHS feels distant to those who use it most. So, for the elderly and those with chronic conditions we should explore ways we can bring back the family doctor.
“This wouldn’t just make lives easier for patients – there is strong evidence that continuity of care improves outcomes.”
Many experts have warned the only way to fix the NHS is to resolve the crisis in social care.
The major review of the health service by Lord Darzi described the state of social care as “dire” and noted the “profound human cost and economic consequences” of a long under-resourced area of healthcare.
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Independent peer Lord Darzi’s report focused on the NHS but said a growing gap between people’s needs and those getting publicly funded social care in England is placing “an increasingly large burden on families and on the NHS”.
Age UK’s research found around 140,000 of older people have difficulty eating, 600,000 have difficulty getting in and out of bed and 440,000 of older people have difficulty going to the toilet.
Mr Jenrick told the Daily Express: “Social care reform eluded us. So as Conservative Party leader in opposition I would work cross-party to help deliver the reform that is so desperately needed.
“I know from my own experience caring for my Grandma just how challenging the task is. We will only attract the British workers to take up these jobs if we are willing to pay them the wage they deserve.”