Health secretary prompts ridicule after claiming NHS nurses stand up when doctors enter room

Matt Hancock accused of being divisive and out of touch

Critics on social media said the archaic claims more closely resembled the 1960s film 'Carry On Doctor' (Rex)

Health secretary Matt Hancock has been branded out-of-touch and divisive for claiming parts of the NHS still require nurses to stand up when doctors walk in the room.

Speaking at the Chief Nursing Officer Summit on Thursday, Matt Hancock added that it is nurses, not doctors, who keep the health service running overnight.

He said outdated hierarchy was hindering improvement in the NHS and said he wanted to see more nurses in leadership roles and running trusts.

“In my grandmother’s day, nurses were expected to stand up when a doctor entered the room,” he told nursing leaders. “And worse, I find that’s still the case in some antiquated, archaic corners of the NHS.

“I want it to stop. If anything, it should be doctors standing up for nurses. Because who runs a hospital at 2am in the morning? Who keeps the show on the road?”

Nurses and doctors with decades of NHS experience took to social media to ridicule Mr Hancock’s claims, suggesting he had spent too long watch films like Carry On Doctor and not enough time listening to frontline staff.

Others accused him of “divide and conquer” tactics which undermined the NHS ethos.

Michelle Johnson, chief nurse at Whittington Health NHS Trust said in her 30 years’ experience she had never seen or heard of the practice.

While NHS consultant and co-founder of the National Health Action Party, Clive Peedell, said the health secretary was out of touch.

The Royal College of Nurses, the UK’s nursing trade union, told The Independent it didn’t recognise the health secretary’s claims either.

Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England, said: “When I travel round England visiting members in hospitals and the community, I see nursing and medical staff work in partnership together, which has brought huge benefits for the health service.”

The health secretary’s claim “society does not value nursing enough” led some critics to point out it was his party which introduced a seven-year, below-inflation pay cap.

This has contributed to 100,000 vacant NHS jobs – including 40,000 nurses – in England and Ms Marquis said “the change that would help most is more staff”.

The views may also reopen tensions between the government and junior doctors who fought a bitter contract battle with Mr Hancock’s predecessor Jeremy Hunt over plans to remove overtime for weekend and evening work.

Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctor committee, said all health care staff were involved in keeping the health service running 24/7.

It comes as official figures for February showed hospitals had again been unable to hit key waiting time targets amid record staff shortages and rising patient demand.