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Top doctors and nurses today urge the British public to save the NHS from being “finished off” by the Tories over the next five years.

The Mirror is publishing two open letters from more than 1,000 leading medics outlining the devastation from a decade of Conservative misrule.

Nurses say they are terrified at the thought of another five years of Tory government, while doctors warn the health service will not survive in its current form if Boris Johnson ends up back in No10 on Friday.

Some of the nation’s top doctors insist another five years of underfunding, privatisation and short-staffing will “finish it off”.

Meanwhile, the nurses accuse the Tories of holding the health service, its staff and patients “in contempt”.

(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)

The doctors’ letter urging voters not to vote Tory had last night been signed by 1,122 within 24 hours.

It comes with the health service on life support after a decade of austerity and with US pharmaceutical firms circling. Record low NHS funding increases have resulted in record long waiting times and an exodus of staff.

Doctors said: “We believe we now must come out fighting for the NHS.”

The doctors’ letter was organised by British Medical Association council members Dr Jacky Davis and Dr Louise Irvine.

The Mirror also received an open letter signed by more than 150 nurses pleading with the public to help them as they struggle to maintain care while there are 43,000 unfilled posts.

(Image: Getty Images)

Nurses said: “Since 2010, untold damage has been done to NHS services by the Tories. Funding was slashed, privatisation allowed to run rampant, and hardworking NHS staff have been driven into the ground.”

A&E delays are at a record high, with one in six people not seen within the four-hour target time, which is expected to be abandoned for ever if the Tories are re-elected.

More than 4.4 million people are waiting for a routine operation or procedure and a staffing exodus has left more than 100,000 vacancies.

Targets for treating cancer patients within 62 days of referral has not been met in more than five years.

One London-based nurse told the Mirror: “We do not have enough nurses, there are days when I care for double the amount of patients and every time I end up in tears at some point as I feel so guilty I cannot give the best care to them.

“Some days I think maybe it would be best if I left nursing altogether.”

(Image: PA)

Historically the NHS has needed annual budget increases of around 4% to maintain standards of care and upgrade equipment. The system is now crumbling after rises fell closer to 1% for much of the past decade.

The Conservatives are sticking to former PM Theresa May ’s plan to increase the NHS England budget by £20.5billion by 2024, with average annual increases of 3.4%.

Labour has promised both that figure and a further £6billion, with increases averaging 3.9%.

Independent experts believe budget increases of 3.5% are needed just to maintain care for an older, sicker population. They say increases of 4% to 4.5% would be needed to reverse the damage done and bring down waiting time.

The doctors' letter We write as NHS doctors who believe we now must come out fighting for the NHS. The NHS is a vitally important service delivering care to all those who need it, free at the point of need. But it is suffering badly after nearly a decade of Conservative government neglect, underfunding and creeping privatisation. We fear another five years of Tory rule will finish it off. The Government in their panic are making wild promises about 50,000 extra nurses, 6,000 more GPs and 40 extra hospitals, all of which are misleading or actual lies. Don’t listen to their promises, look at their record. Last winter in the NHS was the worst on record with dangerously high bed occupancy, growing waiting times for cancer care and 4.4 million patients waiting for treatment. This winter is shaping up to be even worse. There has been a 1,000% increase in patients waiting on trolleys, because the UK has less than half the hospital bed numbers of countries like France and Germany. We spend less per head on health than most of our neighbouring countries. The result of this neglect and underfunding is that the NHS now has a “winter crisis” all year round. The 100,000 staff shortages, lack of beds and cuts to social and community care mean dangerous levels of unrelenting pressure on hospitals, GPs, nurses and other NHS staff. Behind these statistics is a human tragedy. We, our families and loved ones all depend on the NHS. It’s time to say “enough is enough”. If the NHS is to become once again safe for patients and staff we need a change of government to one that will rebuild the NHS as a great public service for all. We call on you to vote on Thursday to make sure this happens. As NHS doctors we firmly believe the NHS will not survive another 5 years of Conservative government. sponsors: Dr Jacky Davis, consultant radiologist, London, Dr Louise Irvine, GP, London

The doctors’ letter, co-sponsored by consultant radiologist Dr Davis and GP and activist Dr Irvine, is backed by medical heavyweights including Prof Neena Modi, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Others include top gynaecologist and abortion rights campaigner Prof Wendy Savage and campaigning junior doctor Dr Aislinn Macklin-Doherty.

The NHS now “buys in” more services than ever before from private companies, pouring away a fifth of its budget in to profit-making firms.

In England the NHS spent £24billion – or 18% of its budget – on buying private healthcare services in 2018/19.

It still gets some of the world’s lowest drug prices due to its collective bargaining power.

But Labour warns the Conservatives could give this away in a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.

The nurses' letter This election has clearly demonstrated the love that the British people have for the NHS. But almost ten years into a Tory government, we frontline nurses want to make clear to them how terrified we are at the prospect of another five years on their watch. Since 2010, untold damage has been done to NHS services by the Tories. Funding was slashed, privatisation allowed to run rampant, and hardworking NHS staff have been driven into the ground. There are almost 44,000 nursing vacancies today, predicted to double to 100,000 in ten years. NHS waiting lists are at record highs, patients aren’t getting cancer treatments on time, children and vulnerable people travel hundreds of miles to access mental health treatment, and more patients are being left on trolleys in corridors for hours. We are told there will be 40 new hospitals, which becomes six. And then that there will be 50,000 new nurses, despite a third of them already working for the NHS today. This isn’t the work – or word – of a party who loves the NHS, it’s of one who holds it, its staff, and patients in contempt. As frontline nurses we are heartbroken at the damage that we have seen done to the care and dignity of our patients. And we have seen how brutal austerity cuts mean the homeless, those with substance issues, and people needing mental health support cannot get the support they need. If the Tory manifesto policies are enacted, it is predicted that child poverty will rise to a 60-year high. We simply say this to you, if things are this bad after almost ten years of the Tories, how bad do you think it will be after 15 years? When you head to the polling station on 12 December, we plead with you to stop the Tories. The NHS has never been safe in their hands, and it never will be. signed by 150 nurses

The Tories have also pledged 50,000 more nurses, but have faced ridicule after it emerged they hoped that 18,500 of the “extra” nurses were due to come from dissuading staff from leaving.

No extra money has been promised to increase their salaries.

The only extra funding pledged is to cover training. Currently around 35,700 nurses quit the NHS every year and no significant plans have been put in place to stop this happening. The dodgy pledge also relies on a hope that 12,000 nurses will be recruited from overseas despite tighter immigration rules.

Labour has said it will employ 24,000 more nurses and vows to spend more overall than the Tories on the NHS. It is promising a 5% pay rise for all public sector workers from next year if elected.

A Tory spokeswoman said: “The nurses, doctors and other staff in our NHS work incredibly hard, and we need to do everything we can to support them.”