Election fever and the football: a game of rhetoric

The general election on 7 May this year looms ever closer and as it does, so too comes the expected political rhetoric. In party political broadcasts most of this rhetoric frequently concerns education and health, and the NHS, once again, is being seen as the political football it has always been. The impact of this attempt to score goals and win votes is felt most acutely by those who use the health and social services (often the most vulnerable in our society) as well as those who work there on the front line day in and day out.

The central economic challenge instigated and ongoing attempts to return the UK to pre-recession growth levels, while there has been economic growth, will not be felt by the public and NHS workers for a number of years yet, inflation continues to outstrip average wage increases with a disparity between inflation and pay increases. The economic challenge is further confounded by health care funding pressures and the Government (whatever side of the house) will still need to tackle the public deficit and this is despite the current administration's pledge (announced in the Autumn budget statement) to give the NHS a further £2 billion in attempts to avert any crisis in the service and as a ‘down payment’ to secure the NHS.