The problem in the UK is that conservatives and neo-liberals have been actively dismantling the service over the last 20 years.
At a time when there were already staffing difficulties conservatives dis-incentivised people from becoming nurses by removing training bursaries.
Parts of the system have already been stealthily privatised with the associated drop in quality and additional costs. In many cases employees of the NHS are simultaneously being paid private rates using public money through schemes like "right to choose".
At a time when staff nurses are being told they don't deserve higher pay, private agencies are being paid >3 times the staff rate in order to fill gaps in staffing caused by lack of pay and overwork. The result is artificially inflated staffing costs and an incentive for the remaining staff to move over to the agency for what is often double what they'd be earning.
The correct course of action is to bring costs back into line by expunging the parasitic private healthcare system. Every agency position eliminated pays for 2 staff nurses with a healthy pay rise. The improvement to staffing ratios would further improve the nature of the job.
At a time when there were already staffing difficulties conservatives dis-incentivised people from becoming nurses by removing training bursaries.
Parts of the system have already been stealthily privatised with the associated drop in quality and additional costs. In many cases employees of the NHS are simultaneously being paid private rates using public money through schemes like "right to choose".
At a time when staff nurses are being told they don't deserve higher pay, private agencies are being paid >3 times the staff rate in order to fill gaps in staffing caused by lack of pay and overwork. The result is artificially inflated staffing costs and an incentive for the remaining staff to move over to the agency for what is often double what they'd be earning.
The correct course of action is to bring costs back into line by expunging the parasitic private healthcare system. Every agency position eliminated pays for 2 staff nurses with a healthy pay rise. The improvement to staffing ratios would further improve the nature of the job.