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Liam O'Dell
Jun 20, 2021
Baroness Dido Harding
PA
Former head of the Test and Trace programme, Dido Harding, has come under fire after The Sunday Times reported that she wants to end the NHS’ “reliance on foreigners” if she is appointed chief executive of the health service.
According to the paper, Harding, 53, wants to challenge the government view that it is better to encourage medical professionals to come to the UK from overseas because of the huge cost of training a doctor.
On Friday it was revealed that the Tory peer has applied to become the next NHS boss, replacing Sir Simon Stevens who will stand down at the end of July.
This is despite Harding having previously faced strong criticism for her management of Test and Trace, with a report by the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee in March finding that the programme – used to identify infections and ‘contact trace’ anyone who may have been in close contact with a person infected with Covid – used up “unimaginable” amounts of taxpayers’ money.
Committee chair Meg Hillier said at the time: “The £23bn test and trace has cost us so far is about the annual budget of the Department for Transport. Test and trace still continues to pay for consultants at £1,000 a day.
“Yet despite the unimaginable resources thrown at this project, test and trace cannot point to a measurable difference to the progress of the pandemic.
“The promise on which this huge expense was justified – avoiding another lockdown – has been broken, twice.”
No doubt with this in mind, Twitter users have since taken to the social media platform to condemn the peer’s remarks – with some saying the UK should end its reliance on Harding:
"Dido Harding: End NHS reliance on foreigners" Or alternately, we could end our reliance on Dido Harding. Would b… https://t.co/PkY4Ixdyb6— Edwin Hayward 🦄 🗡 (@Edwin Hayward 🦄 🗡) 1624146605
Dido Harding - who wants to be next chief exec of NHS England - frames addressing the govt’s long-term underinvestm… https://t.co/1gcc6P4ULV— Sonia Sodha (@Sonia Sodha) 1624139417
I would rather the Govt ended reliance on Dido Harding. https://t.co/DMqKIphuKt— Brexit Truth 💙 (@Brexit Truth 💙) 1624173579
A good day to thank the Portuguese nurse who found a vein for my chemotherapy when nobody else could, and the Spani… https://t.co/eR16xgMKdf— Trisha Greenhalgh (@Trisha Greenhalgh) 1624172761
Dido Harding would be a complete disaster for the NHS. https://t.co/ydMiZsXyIl— Maureen Brown (@Maureen Brown) 1624138890
Dido Harding “End NHS reliance on foreigners” Shortly to be followed by “End NHS reliance on Doctors and Nurses” Su… https://t.co/0i7ObH3fes— sue#NHSLove💙💙💙#FBNHS (@sue#NHSLove💙💙💙#FBNHS) 1624175258
Dido Harding’s pitch for becoming next head of NHS England? “End NHS reliance on foreigners” by challenging “import… https://t.co/1T9XbqAIPr— Prof Tanja Bueltmann (@Prof Tanja Bueltmann) 1624138085
Good morning to the Polish obstetrician who saved mine and my daughter’s life and the Sri Lankan A&E Dr in crash wi… https://t.co/uzXpye5Qj9— Claire Osborn has long Covid (@Claire Osborn has long Covid) 1624173304
170,000 NHS staff are of non-British nationality. That’s 1 in 7 staff. They work, live and have families and friend… https://t.co/uthHsoY9dA— Dr Nisreen Alwan 🌻 (@Dr Nisreen Alwan 🌻) 1624174525
It’s absolutely incredible for *anyone* to look back over the last eighteen months & decide to tell any NHS workers… https://t.co/wLQx80JZru— James Oh Brien (@James Oh Brien) 1624184712
Another account pointed out that it was “foreign” medics and nurses who saved the Prime Minister’s life when he was treated for coronavirus last year, with one nurse who cared for him, Luis Pitarma, being from Averio in Portugal.
We think Dido needs to bring out the “White Flag” and surrender this line of argument...