Kathryn Gutteridge is a consultant midwife, and was voted Midwife of the Year 2017.
At the Festival she shared her concerns about the future of the NHS with and consultant Steven Thrush.
Host of the event David Green, vice-chancellor of the University of Worcester, began the discussion with a question: who in the
room was a midwife? Everyone in the tent looked around as a small number of
hands went up. Green thanked them for their work and the room acknowledged
their contribution with applause.
Despite being the largest public sector employer in the United Kingdom, Green
said that the NHS was short of staff and that recent statistics pointed to a
current shortage of 100,000 people which could almost double to 190,000 by 2027.
Lack of funding was a major talking point. Thrush pointed to areas
where attempts had been made to save money. This included initiatives like withdrawing free coffee and biscuits.
The panel agreed that more investment was needed, not less, with the UK currently committing around ten per
cent GDP to healthcare, compared to the US which spends sixteen per cent.
“Is it time to bring the health service out of politics?” an audience member asked
the panel. “Yes” Thrush said, “Will it happen? No.”
Pictured from left to right: Kathryn Gutteridge, David Green and Steven Thrush.
If you missed this you may enjoy Event 358 A University Education which takes
place on Saturday, 2 June at 10am.
Please visit Hay Player for the world’s greatest writers on audio and film: