What would your gift to the NHS be on its 70th birthday?

Deputy editor Angela Sharda asks practice managers what they would give to the NHS on its landmark anniversary.
 
Steve Williams
 
‘My gift (in three parts) is to:
 
·      Abolish clinical commissioning groups and replace them with more relevant and streamlined organisations.
·      Align all non-clinical primary care staff with Agenda for Change pay scales.
·      Provide staff with ring-fenced training budgets to allw personal development and career progression.’
 
Steve Williams is co-chair of the Practice Management Network
 
 
Tracy Dell
 
‘How lovely a gift it would be if all the hardworking NHS staff had an hour off with pay or if we all donated 70p (1p for every year) to a local NHS service to fund additional equipment or resources.
 
It’s time to celebrate the NHS and all it does and not just focus on the inadequate funding and failures.’
 
Tracy Dell is a practice manager at Plane Trees Group Practice
 
 
Amanda Sayer
 
‘I’d give the gift of hope:
 
·      Hope that general practice will survive.
·      Hope that we can survive the workforce crisis.
·      Hope that patients will truly understand the pressures we are under.
·      Hope that our funding will increase enough to retain our staff.
·      Hope that we don’t lose too many GPs and staff because they can’t cope with long days and abuse.
·      Hope that there will still be an NHS in 70 years’ time.’
 
 
Amanda Sayer is managing partner of the Lighthouse Medical Practice
 
 
Kay Keane
 
‘I’d like to give all NHS staff a big hug because each one of them does their work with kindness and concern. We are one big extended family doing far more than is expected every day.’
 
Kay Keane is a practice business manager at Alvanley Family Practice
 
 
Sheinaz Stansfield
 
‘I give the gift of:
 
·      A shared purpose between primary, secondary and community services to work together on patient need.
·      Long-term planning and contracting across the NHS and third-sector organisations to enable sustainability.
·      Workforce skills according to patient demographic need.
·      Less political interference in the NHS.
·      Services that prioritise the needs of patients rather than providers.’
 
Sheinaz Stansfield is a practice manager at Oxford Terrace and Rawling Road Medical Group