Ministers, well being leaders and scientific specialists will meet in Downing Road on Saturday in an try to unravel the quick and long-term points going through the well being service.

Rishi Sunak will host the NHS restoration discussion board in Quantity 10 because the winter disaster rolls on, with discussions specializing in social care and delayed discharge, pressing and emergency care, elective care, and first care.

The prime minister’s spokesman mentioned the intention was to “share information and sensible options in order that we will deal with essentially the most essential challenges” in each well being and social care.

However the chief government of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, mentioned the assembly wouldn’t be capable of repair the disaster that “has been a decade or extra within the making”, including: “The truth is that there aren’t any silver bullets right here.”

The assembly comes amid warnings from senior docs of the “insupportable and insufferable” state of the NHS this winter, with ambulances queuing for hours exterior hospitals, a number of trusts asserting vital incidents, and rising circumstances of flu and COVID impacting the service.

It additionally comes as the federal government stays at loggerheads with nursing and ambulance unions over pay and dealing circumstances, with each professions set to take additional strike motion later this month.

Junior docs might be part of them on the pickets in March if a poll is authorized by union members.

The chief of the Royal Faculty of Nursing (RCN), Pat Cullen, mentioned on Thursday that she could be keen to “meet the federal government midway” over its pay calls for, with Sky News understanding a rise of 10% could possibly be accepted by her members.

However, whereas the federal government has invited unions for additional talks subsequent week and well being secretary Steve Barclay has mentioned he’s “eager to have a dialogue”, ministers are sticking to their place of following suggestions from the unbiased pay evaluate physique of an increase nearer to 4%.

Saturday’s discussion board will run for almost all of the day, with attendees together with chief executives and scientific leaders from NHS organisations, native areas and councils from throughout the nation, scientific specialists from Royal Faculties and unbiased sector organisations working with well being and social care companies.

Mr Barclay may also attend, alongside Treasury minister John Glen, Cupboard Workplace minister Oliver Dowden, and the chief government Officer of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard.

However the RCN has not been invited.

Pointing to Mr Sunak’s first huge speech of the yr, the place he listed the NHS as one in every of his priorities in workplace, a Downing Road spokesperson mentioned: “Because the prime minister made clear this week, easing the instant pressures while additionally specializing in the long-term enchancment of the NHS is one in every of his key guarantees.

“That is why we’re bringing collectively the most effective minds from the well being and care sectors to assist share information and sensible options in order that we will deal with essentially the most essential challenges comparable to delayed discharge and emergency care.

“We need to appropriate the unwarranted variation in NHS efficiency between native areas, as a result of irrespective of the place you reside you must be capable of entry high quality healthcare.”

However Labour mentioned sufferers “deserve greater than a speaking store”.

Shadow well being secretary Wes Streeting mentioned: “After 13 years of mismanaging the NHS, that is the equal of the arsonists convening a discussion board with the hearth brigade to place out the inferno they began.

“Medical leaders and well being specialists have been sounding the alarm for months concerning the disaster the NHS is going through, so why has it taken so lengthy for Rishi Sunak and Steve Barclay to determine to take heed to them?

“After 5 Conservative prime ministers and 7 well being secretaries, it is clear that the longer the Conservatives are in energy, the longer sufferers will wait.”

The Liberal Democrats additionally known as the discussion board “too little, too late”, with deputy chief Daisy Cooper saying: “Sunak must cease working at a snail’s tempo, and begin appearing with the pace and urgency this unprecedented NHS disaster deserves.”