Shortage of NHS Doctors – The Push and Pull Factors.
Dr Chris Ho • 30 April 2024
News & Social Media / Post
Dr Chris Ho
UK Independence Party spokesman for Health and Social Care
A recent BMA report has estimated that doctors leaving the NHS prematurely costs the taxpayer up to £2.4bn a year. 15,000 to 23,000 doctors estimated to have left the NHS prematurely in England between September 2022 and September 2023.
Correlating to other figures provided by the Channel 4 News link below, approx. 5000 of those are new junior doctor graduates. We only produce 8000-9000 new doctors annually, so we are losing around 50% of our medical graduates each year.
All the while, demand is ever increasing with population growth driven by mass immigration.
Bearing in mind that despite tuition fees of £9000 annually in England, the cost of medical education is still heavily subsidized, and it is totally subsidized in Scotland. Hence the costs mentioned. The reasons for doctors leaving are myriad but can be broadly categorised into push and pull factors. The push factors include poor working conditions, e.g. pay, workload, regulatory practices, demonization in the media especially with GPs and societal/political factors like lack of protection of whistle-blowers, politicisation of the NHS. The pull factors include better working conditions abroad and a lesser degree of the push factors.
The mainstream political parties’ aims of recruiting more doctors (e.g. 5000 more doctors in last Tory manifesto) are clearly untenable without addressing any of our push factors. Any government would find it difficult to do so though, as socialised healthcare translates into trying to milk the workforce for as much as possible.
Greater spending just means greater debt and inflation. Trying to take the shortcut of recruiting foreign doctors’ risks exacerbating problems of immigration and integration and our pull factors pale in comparison to other nations. Harking back to my January article on healthcare models, whilst government spending could be more wisely used on priority areas, maybe it is time to ask if the taxpayer should continue to trust any government with healthcare provision beyond the bare necessities.
Dr Chris Ho
UK Independence Party spokesman for Health and Social Care
Recent National News
Cameron Bishop Former Police Crown Servant, Solicitor & UKIP Activist
Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party
Jeffrey Titford 24.10.1933 – 09.09.2024 Jeffrey Titford, the former Leader of the UK Independence Party and two term MEP for the East of England, has passed away, after suffering from cancer. His family announced his death on 10 th September, aged 90. Jeffrey was one of the fathers of Brexit, coming to the fore in national and international politics at a time when leaving the EU was considered unthinkable and long before it became official Conservative Party policy. A visionary and a democrat, who did not believe that EU membership provided a viable future for Britain as an independent, self-governing nation, Jeffrey Titford was elected to the European Parliament at the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections, aged 63. He was one of three UK Independence Party MEPs elected, which sent shock waves through the political world. He became Leader of the Party in 2000 and served for three years bringing stability and respectability to its campaigns. During this period, he made seventy speeches a year, travelling all over the country. He also served as interim Leader from September to November 2010, following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, while the election of a new Leader was held. During his time in the European Parliament, he made dozens of speeches in Plenary session severely criticising the EU and particularly the level of fraud in its finances. He also extensively lobbied the European Commission and the Government in Westminster on behalf of the British fishing and farming industries. He led several delegations of fishermen to see UK Agriculture Ministers in Westminster and also took a delegation to meet the European Commissioner for Fishing in Brussels. He wrote monthly columns for the East Anglian Daily Times, the Hertfordshire Mercury and Farmers Guide and made many appearances on regional television. He also made a guest appearance on Breakfast with Frost. Jeffrey Titford’s political career began in 1970, when he became a Councillor on the Clacton Urban District Council. He ended his association with the Conservative Party in 1992, in protest over Prime Minister John Major’s signing of the Maastricht Treaty. He joined Sir James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party and, in a sign of things to come, stood in the General Election of 1997 in Harwich when he was the Party’s most successful candidate, securing almost 10 per cent of the vote and, in the process, unseating the sitting Member of Parliament. Following the death of Sir James Goldsmith, Jeffrey was invited to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP), where he established a branch in Clacton and a regional committee, which led to his successful campaign in the European Elections in 1999. He paved the way for Nigel Farage’s subsequent success in Clacton at the 2024 General Election. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2004, with a greatly increased share of the vote and UKIP also returned a second MEP. He retired from European Politics in 2009 and was made an Honorary Patron of the Party in 2006 and became President for Life in 2011. Life before politics Following National Service in the RAF, Jeffrey joined the family’s funeral directing business in 1956, where he had a 35 year career, during which he served for 12 years on the National Association of Funeral Director’s (NAFD) National Executive and rose to National President in 1975-76. He was instrumental in developing an official code of practice for the funeral profession, at the request of the Office of Fair Trading. He also successfully campaigned for funeral directors to have the right to sell a package funeral and carried out the first review of the practice manual for funeral directing, which led to the creation of a formal qualification for funeral directors, recognised by the NAFD. He sold the company in February 1989 and retired from the profession. An enthusiastic Rotarian, Jeffrey served as President of the Clacton and later Frinton Rotary Clubs. He also belonged to the Clacton Operatic and Clacton Dramatic Societies, taking lead roles in both companies. However, his most successful hobby was rally driving. He was a leading light in the Clacton Motor Club in the early seventies for whom he was the regional rally champion for six consecutive years. Jeffrey Titford was a devoted family man and is survived by his wife Margaret, one son, three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party
Donald MacKay UKIP Spokesman for Scotland
Steve Unwin UKIP Spokesman for Home Affairs, Political Reform and Local Government (UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Christchurch)
Antony Nailer UK Independence Party spokesman for Treasury
Dr Chris Ho UK Independence Party spokesman for Health and Social Care
Antony Nailer UK Independence Party Energy Spokesman
Cameron Bishop Former Police Crown Servant, Solicitor & UKIP Activist
Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party
Jeffrey Titford 24.10.1933 – 09.09.2024 Jeffrey Titford, the former Leader of the UK Independence Party and two term MEP for the East of England, has passed away, after suffering from cancer. His family announced his death on 10 th September, aged 90. Jeffrey was one of the fathers of Brexit, coming to the fore in national and international politics at a time when leaving the EU was considered unthinkable and long before it became official Conservative Party policy. A visionary and a democrat, who did not believe that EU membership provided a viable future for Britain as an independent, self-governing nation, Jeffrey Titford was elected to the European Parliament at the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections, aged 63. He was one of three UK Independence Party MEPs elected, which sent shock waves through the political world. He became Leader of the Party in 2000 and served for three years bringing stability and respectability to its campaigns. During this period, he made seventy speeches a year, travelling all over the country. He also served as interim Leader from September to November 2010, following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch, while the election of a new Leader was held. During his time in the European Parliament, he made dozens of speeches in Plenary session severely criticising the EU and particularly the level of fraud in its finances. He also extensively lobbied the European Commission and the Government in Westminster on behalf of the British fishing and farming industries. He led several delegations of fishermen to see UK Agriculture Ministers in Westminster and also took a delegation to meet the European Commissioner for Fishing in Brussels. He wrote monthly columns for the East Anglian Daily Times, the Hertfordshire Mercury and Farmers Guide and made many appearances on regional television. He also made a guest appearance on Breakfast with Frost. Jeffrey Titford’s political career began in 1970, when he became a Councillor on the Clacton Urban District Council. He ended his association with the Conservative Party in 1992, in protest over Prime Minister John Major’s signing of the Maastricht Treaty. He joined Sir James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party and, in a sign of things to come, stood in the General Election of 1997 in Harwich when he was the Party’s most successful candidate, securing almost 10 per cent of the vote and, in the process, unseating the sitting Member of Parliament. Following the death of Sir James Goldsmith, Jeffrey was invited to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP), where he established a branch in Clacton and a regional committee, which led to his successful campaign in the European Elections in 1999. He paved the way for Nigel Farage’s subsequent success in Clacton at the 2024 General Election. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2004, with a greatly increased share of the vote and UKIP also returned a second MEP. He retired from European Politics in 2009 and was made an Honorary Patron of the Party in 2006 and became President for Life in 2011. Life before politics Following National Service in the RAF, Jeffrey joined the family’s funeral directing business in 1956, where he had a 35 year career, during which he served for 12 years on the National Association of Funeral Director’s (NAFD) National Executive and rose to National President in 1975-76. He was instrumental in developing an official code of practice for the funeral profession, at the request of the Office of Fair Trading. He also successfully campaigned for funeral directors to have the right to sell a package funeral and carried out the first review of the practice manual for funeral directing, which led to the creation of a formal qualification for funeral directors, recognised by the NAFD. He sold the company in February 1989 and retired from the profession. An enthusiastic Rotarian, Jeffrey served as President of the Clacton and later Frinton Rotary Clubs. He also belonged to the Clacton Operatic and Clacton Dramatic Societies, taking lead roles in both companies. However, his most successful hobby was rally driving. He was a leading light in the Clacton Motor Club in the early seventies for whom he was the regional rally champion for six consecutive years. Jeffrey Titford was a devoted family man and is survived by his wife Margaret, one son, three daughters, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Ben Walker National Party Chairman - UK Independence Party
Donald MacKay UKIP Spokesman for Scotland
Steve Unwin UKIP Spokesman for Home Affairs, Political Reform and Local Government (UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Christchurch)
Antony Nailer UK Independence Party spokesman for Treasury
Dr Chris Ho UK Independence Party spokesman for Health and Social Care
