IEA Head of Media Emily Craver has written her bi-weekly column for Conservative Home arguing that the UK must have a rational discussion about NHS reform.  Emily referenced the recent NHS pay rise debacle as an example of how “toxic and claustrophobic” the public debate over the health service has become.

The wage banding system for NHS staff allows for regular incremental wage rises which puts NHS staff at a better advantage than most private sector workers who have worked equally as hard during the pandemic. This system of regular pay increases is an “unfair and possibly demotivating ” way to pay staff.

But rather than tackling the problems with NHS pay, Carver argues: “much of the political class would rather pander to the narrative of the NHS as the “envy of the world” than stick their head above the parapet”.

Read the full article here.