Masking NHS crisis just deepens the problems

 

Applause for our front line NHS. But not for the persistent attempts of the Conservatives to mask the crisis in our NHS and in care. Cornwall’s NHS has never been so threatened and struggling. Last week Hospital chiefs announced further major changes; including that ALL except the most urgent surgery had been cancelled.

 

Unfortunately, we have a government whose default policy is to pursue populism rather than science. Other comparable countries – Germany, France – have successfully opened their economies while maintaining sensible restrictions, and kept covid levels and deaths much lower. However, the UK adopted a cavalier attitude. It wasn’t just that the G7 summit proved to be the super spreader event as many of us warned, but that lax measures have worsened infection levels and promoted an avoidably higher death rate.

 

The Conservative’s response – the “Enhanced response package” announced for Cornwall a fortnight ago – proved to be just warm words and public relations.

 

I’m a councillor on Cornwall’s health scrutiny committee. I regret to have discovered the committee to be a largely and disappointingly toothless facade, to operate at ponderous pace and seems to be a puppet of the executive and Government supporters. I’ll of course continue to do all I can within these limitations. But I’m not optimistic that it has the capacity nor the desire to properly scrutinise anything politically contentious.