'Stop squabbling like spoilt brats' Readers have their say on Labour and Tory plans for the NHS

NHS staff are working one million hours of unpaid overtime every week | jpimedia

Labour and the Tories have got into a war of numbers over NHS staff overtime, with ministers accusing the opposition of “scoring another own goal”.

According to a newanalysis of the official NHS Staff Survey by Labour, published on Friday, staff are working one million hours of unpaid overtime every week.

But the Conservatives hit back, claiming that Labour’s four-day week plans will leave health service staff working 2.5 million hours of unpaid overtime each week.

We asked for your views on the NHS and here are a selection

I wonder why we keep harping on about too few nurses. I’m a nurse and tbh it there was a million nurses we’d still be short as the NHS will not pay to cover the wards so they either shut or staff get stressed to limits. Extra money is good, however if this was a private company there would be less waste and common sense practices.

Alison Cheney

They need to stop squabbling like spoilt brats and sort out the NHS and crime ..

Angela Fearns

Are the over time figures any worse than the police overtime figures?

Patricia Sharkey

It high time England reintroduced bursaries student nurses Scotland gives them 6.50 pounds every month free courses then in time have nurses to fill gap take strain under staffed nhs.

Elaine Brown

National Health Service staff are being expected to run an International Health Service.

Keith Murray

Travel Tourism makes up 0.3% of NHS budget & EU citizens pay NI and Income Tax so should absolutely be eligible for the NHS.

George Westhead

I have every sympathy with NHS staff from experience I know they work very hard, however I wonder when will this survey be done for social workers?

Lorraine Hilton

That doesn’t surprise me at all. Education probably has a similar unpaid overtime record. These are services which are woefully neglected.

Philippa Baker

We need a consensus on the health service to help and improve not a competition as to who can tell the most lies.

Brian Newman

And lots of hospital volunteers are helping to keep things running also.

Keith Anthony Johnson

Does anyone care about the politicians and their squabbles? What we want to see is a National Health Service which provides top quality, timely care to people when they are in need. It also needs to be integrated with the social care system so that people can be moved out of acute hospital beds into care beds, freeing up vital resoures but ensuring people have the correct support after an operation. Simple really.

Helen Dempster