Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has proposed to the BBC that doctors and nurses should volunteer for weekend work in order to reduce waiting lists, with higher overtime pay as an incentive. The plan would cost £1.1bn per year and require the scrapping of non-dom tax status. Labour would allocate £1.5bn to the policy if Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are included. The proposal relies on staff agreeing to extra shifts. Sir Keir acknowledged that many NHS workers currently earn more in the private sector.
Although the overtime payments would not match private sector wages, Sir Keir said he was confident NHS staff organisations would support the plan: “They are up for this because they know that bringing down waiting lists will relieve pressure on them in the long run.” The overtime system would not necessitate a new pay deal with NHS staff because the Labour Party would pay proper rates during hours out of standard working hours.
While commenting on the proposal, Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea supported the move as a stop-gap solution, stating, “But a voluntary scheme, where staff are paid fairly, that avoids the use of expensive agencies, makes sense in the short-term.” Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger said the NHS runs on the good will of its staff, and that a cultural shift is required so that nursing staff can be paid fairly for working overtime.
Sir Keir said that the plan would result in two million extra hospital appointments each year and would be a crucial component of his mission to grow the UK’s economy. Labour has pledged to make the UK’s economy the fastest growing in the G7. Sir Keir stated that he was confident about the UK’s growth and that it was the single defining mission of an incoming Labour government. Labour intends to fund its proposal by scrapping non-dom tax status, which it claims will raise almost £2bn per year.
Under Labour’s proposal, hospitals would be permitted to use shared waiting lists and pool staff, with patients being given the option of travelling outside their area to neighbouring hospitals for treatment during weekends and evenings
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