[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

That statement says so much about your views - much more than you realise.

It’s basic risk management to put in place contingency for a potential increase in demand, not "weaponising the NHS*".

*did you get that phrase from the Telegraph or the Spectator?

Only 52% of NHS staff in 2020 were professionally qualified clinical staff.

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-info...tics/july-2020

The bureaucratic cost thus consumes a very high percentage of the budget that could have been used years ago to recruit and train additional medical staff. "Saving the NHS" is saving the bureaucracy as much as anything else. Once again, poor government has put us into this situation. This started in Blair's days when his lot became obsessed with internal markets and all the administrative bagged brought in with that.