News / Dorrell: NHS staff deserve fair reward

In the opening speech at this year’s NHS Confederation conference, Mr Dorrell questioned the continued pay restraint, which was highlighted by opposition parties in the general election campaign. Healthcare is a ‘people business’, he said, mentioning several examples of the extraordinary dedication of staff as part of their daily work. He insisted this sense of duty could not be taken for granted.

Mr Dorrell (pictured), who is chairman of the confederation, added; ‘Critically, we need to ensure that our staff are fairly rewarded for the commitment they make. We all know that financial resources are stretched, but we cannot expect to benefit from the continued commitment of our staff if they feel that public sector pay policy offers them no reasonable prospect of meeting their private needs and aspirations.

He welcomed the additional short-term funding for social care, outlined in this year’s Budget, and a long-term review of the funding options for the service. And he called for a wider, fundamental review of the long-term demand patterns in health and social care and the associated resource implications.

However, solving the demand challenge was not simply a matter of resources, but also the structure of service delivery, he insisted.

‘We know that part of the answer lies in the need to develop better structures, which allow the NHS to become more integrated into the full range of local public services. We need to build on the work done by STPs and local authorities, which offers the prospect of more joined up services which reflect local needs,’ he said.