Dr Latifa Patel thinks funding and a proper workforce plan are vital, and Prof Kamila Hawthorne says without general practice, the rest of the NHS will collapse
When asked what the most important priority should be for the NHS, more than half of the public asked in the British Social Attitudes survey (Satisfaction with the NHS plummets to lowest level in 40 years, 29 March) pointed to increasing the number of staff.
According to your article on the draft NHS workforce plan (NHS staff shortages in England could exceed 570,000 by 2036, leaked document warns, 26 March), the vacancy rate could rise to 571,000 by 2036-37 – that’s a third of the overall healthcare workforce as unfilled jobs, not staff in work caring for patients.
