Steve Barclay was today confronted by a furious mother who said she was “terrified” that the NHS’s treatment of No10 would cause her daughter to die young.
The health secretary met Sarah Pinnington-Auld at King’s College Hospital in London today, a day before nurses across the country go on strike again.
Ms Pinnington-Auld took the opportunity to tell him she was concerned about the treatment of her three-year-old daughter Lucy, who has cystic fibrosis.
She told him the “damage you are doing to families like mine is appalling” and said she feared what the government “could do to the NHS”.
Steve Barclay met Sarah Pinnington-Auld (pictured) at King’s College Hospital in London today, a day before nurses across the country strike again
Ms Pinnington-Auld took the opportunity to tell him she was concerned about the treatment of her three-year-old daughter Lucy, who has cystic fibrosis.
Union WILL compromise on demands for a 19% pay rise to fight inflation, but no. 10 will not speak YET
Striking NHS nurses are set to compromise their demand for a 19 per cent pay rise, but the government is still refusing to discuss wages, health leaders claim. Pictured: Health Secretary Steve Barclay meets with staff for a visit to King’s College University Hospital in London today
READ MORE: Union WILL compromise 19% pay rise, but No 10 STILL won’t talk
It was the second time Mr Barclay had been publicly addressed during a hospital visit after he was accused by an angry woman of “fucking everything” in August.
Ms Pinnington-Auld said: “Your care here has been absolutely amazing. The doctors, the nurses, everyone on the ward, they are brilliant.
“Given what they have, given the scarcity, given the lack of resources.
“I think it’s very concerning to me because we have a daughter with a life-limiting, life-shortening condition. We have some brilliant experts and they work to the core and the level of care they provide is truly amazing.
“But they can’t deploy it the way they want because the resources aren’t there.”
She added: ‘On Monday we would be in and the number of people coming through the door is too great and it’s not fair to blame the pandemic?
“Because we were basically struggling in the NHS before we got into the pandemic. We didn’t have doctors, we didn’t have beds to cope with the pandemic.
“The damage you are doing to families like mine is horrific because it was unbearable for us as a family to wait for that call and prepare our children for their sister and her hospital visits to cancel it.
“I am so scared for my daughter’s future to think about what you can do with the NHS and what exactly that can mean for the length of her life.
“If you don’t prioritize the NHS, I don’t know what chance she has of living longer.”
Mr Barclay replied that “part of the reason” the government has invested an extra £6.6billion in funding for the NHS and social care is to help cases like hers.
He visited the hospital as pressure mounted to meet with nurses and settle a pay dispute as strikes continue to threaten health care.
Thousands of medics will walk out of hospitals for a second time tomorrow to bring down the NHS, fueled by the ongoing pay dispute.
Paramedics, ambulance drivers and 999 attendants will man their own gates on Wednesday, sparking the biggest emergency services strike since the 1980s.
Ms Pinnington-Auld told Mr Barclay the “damage you are doing to families like mine is terrible”.
Union leaders said today that no. 10 was “absolutely adamant” to discuss wages and that a “firm commitment” on wages was needed to avoid work stoppages.
Elderly patients who are medically fit to be discharged could be trapped in hospitals because of the strikes, senior NHS workers fear.
But the worst could be ambulance strikes, with elderly people falling at home and women in the late stages of pregnancy unable to get emergency transport to hospitals.
Downing Street has refused to offer NHS workers a one-off payment to stave off the strikes, one of the measures proposed by Health Secretary Steve Barclay last week.
Nurses suggested that they would be ready to discuss the offer, but that further discussions would be necessary on Thursday or further action would be taken in January.
Strikes in the New Year can be even more disruptive for patients and last longer.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
