The party that founded the NHS will have to save it again

New Labour left office with patient satisfaction at record levels – a far cry from today, writes Andrew Grice

Some right-wing Conservatives relish this existential crisis (Reuters)

To keep saving lives we need to save the NHS,” says an advert from the Unison public service union defending its strikes. A few years ago, such a message would have cut little ice with the public, but today it is wholly credible: the industrial action is not just about pay, but the sickly state of the NHS.

The stoppages by nurses and ambulance staff posed an uncomfortable question for ministers: on non-strike days, the service was already swamped, so could anyone tell the difference? Ambulance workers can spend an entire shift waiting in line at an accident and emergency department, while A&E doctors can return to work after 12 hours off to find the same patients queueing.

Some right-wing Conservatives relish this existential crisis as a long-awaited opportunity to reform an institution they regard as a socialist, big-state creation stuck in the last century. “It’s no longer a taboo subject,” one told me. “It wasn’t possible to raise the future of the NHS during the pandemic. Now the debate has begun.”