The NHS winter crisis, on Sky News
On the January 2018 winter crisis and the health secretary's apology for thousands of cancelled operations: honesty about a service running hot every year, and protecting the staff who speak up.
On the day
On 3 January 2018, at the height of that winter’s NHS crisis, the health secretary had apologised after thousands of operations were cancelled across England to relieve the pressure, singling out A&E. Sky News asked me, live from Lincoln by video link, whether I welcomed the apology.
I have never thought the answer to a winter crisis is either to blame patients or to reassure them away. It is to be honest about a service that runs hot every single year, and to protect the staff who speak up about it. So I welcomed the apology, kept the focus on patients, and flagged what I thought was the real story that January: who ends up running NHS services, and on what contracts.
What I said
The presenter’s questions are paraphrased. My answers are my own words from the recording, lightly edited for reading clarity; every turn has been checked against the recording.
Gillian Joseph paraphrased, from 0:00
The programme’s top story that evening was the cancellation of thousands of operations across England to ease pressure on the NHS, after the health secretary’s apology had named A&E as under particular strain. Introducing me as an emergency doctor joining by video link from Lincoln, Gillian Joseph asked whether I appreciated that apology.
Dr Kishan Rees from the recording, 0:24
Good evening, Happy New Year. I think it’s positive that he’s coming out and saying that. Whether patients will appreciate it as well or not is another matter, which we really need to talk to them about.
Gillian Joseph paraphrased, from 0:32
Did the health secretary really have a handle on the problems I faced every day, she pressed, and was the apology a sincere admission that this was not what he wanted to be saying to the public?
Dr Kishan Rees from the recording, 0:47
I think it’s interesting, isn’t it. I saw the Channel 4 News interview talking about long-term funding solutions that need to be looked at. I remember being on last year: every single year there’s a crisis, and that can’t continue, it’s not sustainable. All over the media, all over social media, we’ve had senior doctors speaking out and airing their concerns, and it’s very difficult for doctors and healthcare professionals in the NHS to speak out about patient safety. I think we should be applauding the fact that they appear to be being listened to. The interesting thing from my point of view, in terms of how to fund things, is accountable care organisations: contracts that are potentially going out to the private sector for 10 to 15 years. There’s a court case happening over whether that’s lawful and whether it can happen, and I think members of the public should get involved, because ultimately it’s their health that’s on the line. These are decisions that affect them, so they should be consulted.
Gillian Joseph paraphrased, from 1:58
She put the government’s line to me: at the same time, the prime minister was denying the NHS was in crisis at all, and saying it had gone into winter better prepared than ever.
Dr Kishan Rees from the recording, 2:06
You’d have to take that up with Jeremy Hunt. It’s interesting if they’re saying different things. All I can say as a doctor on the front line is that yes, there are pressures every year, but patients get treated in emergency situations: they get seen, they get assessed, they get diagnosed and treated. Certainly in Lincoln, I’d be happy for my family to be treated where I work; there’s a really dynamic senior leadership team, led by Meg Kelly, who is making a lot of positive impact. So you’d have to ask Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt about that. But all I can say, as a doctor working on the frontline, is yes, it’s difficult, but the messaging that needs to go out to patients is this: if you’re unwell, if you need care, seek medical attention, don’t delay. There’s a range of options available to you, whether that’s your GP, a pharmacy, or coming to A&E if you’re acutely unwell.
Broadcast by Sky News, 3 January 2018; clip from the WatMed Media archive, my own upload. Sky News retains the rights in the broadcast. This page carries my own contributions with the presenter’s questions paraphrased, credits the programme, and I will amend or remove on request.