United Kingdom: The UK prime minister Mr. Rishi Sunak has held a meeting with health leaders to tackle the pressures in the National Health System (NHS).

The prime minister, health secretary, and treasury ministers met with health experts from across England to address issues including improving emergency treatment and speeding up social-care discharge.

Mr. Sunak told health and social care leaders that he recognised the “tough time” they had experienced over the last couple of years.

The prime minister further stressed the “boldness and radicalism” employed by medical professionals during the pandemic, adding that “we need that same bold and radical approach now because a business-as-usual mindset won’t fix the challenges we face.”

“Together today, we can figure out the things that will make the biggest difference to the country and everyone’s family, in the short and medium terms,” Mr. Sunak added.

Labour’s leader Mr. Keir Starmer criticised the government’s approach, claiming that “people who face long waits for doctor’s appointments, test results, or ambulances need urgent action.”

Mr. Keir further added that a Labour government could provide a longer-term fix and “give Britain its NHS back, through a decade-long program of renewal and reform, to make the health service fit for the future.”

The meeting was attended by representatives from the public and private sectors, along with chief executives and clinical leaders of NHS organisations, local areas and councils from across the country, and medical as well as social care experts.

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