In “normal times” concern about the NHS reaching a 15 year high would point to a big problem for ministers
But LAB played the NHS card in Copeland and still lost
For the third Friday in a row I’m off to hospital this morning after being one of those who’ve added to this winter’s unprecedented demand on the NHS.
At the start of February after a heavy cold I woke one morning to discover both my ears had been bleeding and I’d lost 80-90% of my hearing. This was profoundly shocking, isolating and very worrying. I realised I needed the NHS at a time when the pressure on it was absolutely enormous.
I haven’t been disappointed. My GP got me an appointment within 24 hours to see an ENT specialist and I only had to wait four days for the first hospital visit. The treatment seems to be working.
I share this because those of us without health insurance totally rely on the NHS for situations like this which is why it is so politically important.
The chart above from the latest Ipsos-MORI Issues Index has the NHS as the main concern with the level at a 15 year high. You’d have thought that this would have helped LAB but it hasn’t and playing the NHS card in Copeland didn’t prevent its humiliating loss of last week’s by-election.
Maybe the concern level is so high because voters are not convinced that LAB is the answer to anything and there is still a question mark about the Tory commitment in this area.