Matt Hancock joined Dan Walker on BBC Breakfast to answer questions on the Tories plans to focus on recruiting more nurses into the NHS. During their election campaign, the Conservatives came under fire when their pledge of 50,000 additional nurses was revealed to include 19,000 existing nurses which the party aimed to retain. However while the health secretary attempted to explain the pledge, the BBC Breakfast host hit out at him for dodging his questions.
Hancock explained: “The commitment is that we will increase the number of nurses by 50,000 so on the latest figures there are 280,599 full time equivalent nurses currently in the NHS.
“We will increase the number by 50,000 that is the commitment and you can do that both by hiring more nurses in and by encouraging nurses not to leave so we’re putting in a package of measures so fewer nurses leave.”
Walker tried to interrupt the health secretary before lamenting: “Okay you finish and I’ll ask another question.”
“Yes that’s how these tend to work best,” Hancock hit back.
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“If fewer nurses leave and there’s an increase in new nurses both of these things increase the number of nurses in the NHS,” Hancock continued.
“It is a really straight forward commitment that we will increase the number of nurses by 50,000.”
“I also find these interviews work if you answer the question so I’ll ask it again,” Walker scolded.
“People leaving doesn’t mean they are joining you’re saying we’re going to make it 50,000,” he said.
“But 18,500 are already there so they’re not joining the NHS.”
Frustrated, Hancock remarked: “There’s only so many times I can explain the same thing and we can through the numbers if you like.”
“But the thing is this every year at the moment around 27,000 leave the NHS,” he added. “I want to reduce this number.
“Even if we didn’t have any new nurses just be reducing the number who leave you would end up with more nurses in the NHS.
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“That retention of existing nurses contributes to increasing their number of nurses in the NHS and that’s very important.”
Hancock continued: “Also, we’re going to have new nurses and the combination of increasing retention which means fewer nurses leave and having more new nurses including with our bursary today.
“So if you’re watching and you want to become a nurse and you don’t think you have the financial resources to do it, we are putting in place that extra support on top of all the existing support.”
Hancock then explained his personal focus the NHS and said: “That’s what matters in my point of view for running the NHS and from a patient’s point of view in ensuring there is patient care.
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“Think of it this way you have a nurse currently feeling under pressure and he or she might leave and we put in place a retention package to help them to stay.
“If they were going to leave and instead they stay then I have more nurses in the NHS.
“It’s all about the NHS getting the support it needs,” he added.
BBC Breakfast airs weekdays on BBC One at 6am.
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