Ms Susan Clyne:

I will answer on behalf of the IMO. I must make the point that for over a decade now the IMO has been highlighting the capacity deficits within the system. This goes back to many previous Governments. In 2008 capacity first began to be reduced. Then it was severely impacted and reduced at the time of the financial crisis. The IMO warned at that time of the negative impact that would have on future generations.

The Deputy asked what we need to do to attract staff into the system. We need to value and respect them. We need to listen to them and allow them to do their jobs in a well-resourced environment. We cannot have two-tier pay systems for medics or doctors. That is a disgrace. The basic principle of equal work for equal pay holds. Yet, we are asking doctors, who are being head-hunted from every part of the globe, to come and work here because we value them so much that we will pay them 30% less than the person they will be working beside. Then we are surprised that they will not come and work here. We are asking our non-consultant hospital doctors, who are currently being asked to work 24-hour or 26-hour shifts, to come back to this health service and work here while claiming that we value them and respect them.

We have an issue with the general practitioner population. Up to 600 GPs are due to retire over the coming years. Retirement is a major issue not only because of the normal issues of retirement but because of Covid-19. Some of these GPs may be at a vulnerable age or have underling health conditions themselves. Yet, we say to our newly-established GPs that we have no supports to help them and we will not help them to set up. We tell them they are on their own.

Government must address the absolute fundamental basic inequalities in the system. Government and the health service must value the staff they wish to recruit. It is not enough to say "thank you very much" occasionally or in a pandemic. That is welcome and it is good to be recognised, but that culture must continue. There has to be a culture of respect, of paying people properly and of listening to them.