Streeting attacks minimum service levels legislation as “NHS sacking the staff bill”

Wes Streeting has attacked the government over its plans to enforce minimum service levels during strikes in the public sector, describing the proposed legislation as an “NHS sacking the staff bill”.

The government announced last week that it is introducing new laws intended to “maintain a basic function and deliver minimum safety levels” for fire, ambulance and rail services during strikes. The legislation is expected to be presented to the Commons “in the coming weeks”.

Addressing the Commons this afternoon, the Shadow Health Secretary accused the Prime Minister of resorting to a “smokescreen of parliamentary game-playing” by bringing forward the legislation.

In an interview on Friday, Rishi Sunak did not rule out healthcare workers being sacked under the new laws for not going to work during strikes.

Responding to a statement from Steve Barclay, Streeting said: “Let me ask the Secretary of State, in this ‘NHS sacking the staff’ bill, how many nurses is he planning to sack? How many paramedics is he going to sack? How many junior doctors is he going to sack?

“And this government has the audacity to ask NHS staff for minimum service levels. When are we going to see minimum service levels from government ministers?”

Barclay admitted in his statement that the “experience for some patients and staff in emergency care has not been acceptable in recent weeks”.

The Health Secretary outlined three “main areas of work” to address the challenges facing the NHS – “steps to support the system now”, “steps to support a whole system response this year” and “work alongside these two areas on prevention”.

Streeting criticised Barclay over the “abysmal failure” of his talks with healthcare union representatives earlier today. Unite, UNISON and GMB confirmed following the meeting that planned strike action by members working in the ambulance service will go ahead.

Unite’s national lead officer Onay Kasab described the government’s approach to talks as an “insult to our members”, while GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said the negotiations “fell well short of anything substantial that could stop this week’s strikes”.

Also attending the meeting, the Royal College of Nursing’s director of employment relations and legal services Joanne Galbraith-Marten said the talks were “bitterly disappointing”, adding: “Ministers have a distance to travel to avert next week’s nurse strike.”

Streeting told MPs: “Every cancelled operation, delayed appointment and ambulance disruption due to strikes could have been avoided if [Barclay] had just agreed to talk to NHS staff about pay.

“Today, he could have opened serious talks to avert further strikes. Instead, he offered nurses and paramedics 45 minutes of lip service. If patients suffer further strike action, they would know exactly who to blame.”

The Labour frontbencher said the measures outlined by Barclay were “too little, too late for so many patients”, arguing: “The collapse of the health service this winter could be seen coming from a mile away.

“Health and social care leaders were warning about it last summer. So why are the measures he set out today being announced in the middle of January?”