The Sunday Take: Health moves to the heart of the political agenda.
Monday: Keir Starmer launches his health ‘Mission’
By Matthew McPherson, Director of Policy and Public Affairs
It’s certainly been health’s week in politics. The government has spent the week making major announcements on healthcare, whilst the Labour Party set out their detailed plan for what they would do in government to ‘build an NHS fit for the future’ should they win the next election.
It’s often said that good health is one of life’s greatest blessings, and it is consistently one of the most important issues for people across the country. Alongside inflation and the economy, recent polling from Ipsos shows health is at the forefront of people’s concerns.
Health is a part of politics where there’s genuine cross party consensus on the issues. Waiting lists are too long, there aren't enough staff who want to work, and stay working in the healthcare sector, and too many NHS hospitals are in need of rebuilding and refurbishment. No party wants to see a healthier country more than any other, the disagreements come in the implementation.
On Monday, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting set out Labour’s Health ‘Mission’, one of five key areas highlighted by the party as areas for reform should they win the next election.
In his speech in true-blue Braintree on Monday, Starmer promised three key changes in UK health policy - an aim to ensure more people can be treated at home to tackle NHS backlogs; harnessing technological advantages to make the NHS more efficient; and a joined up plan for health, looking at issues like smoking and childhood obesity, in order to prevent more people getting ill in the first place.
Not to be outshone, the government also announced plans to rebuild an additional 5 new hospitals by 2030, including Airedale Hospital - a leading Purpose Coalition Member. This announcement sits alongside major reforms announced to the NHS App to allow patients to more easily exercise their right to choose where they go for care, including options from the wider healthcare community, funded by the taxpayer. These changes aim to cut waiting lists, and are a key part of how the independent health community is helping to ensure patients get the care they need as quickly as possible.
This week Purpose Coalition Chair Rt Hon Justine Greening and former Health Minister Rt Hon Anne Milton joined leading Coalition Member Ramsay Health Care UK to launch its Social Impact Report, setting out how the company is offering excellent care as soon as people need it, delivering better outcomes for patients, colleagues and communities; but also thinking more innovatively about what modern care should look like.
Choice is an important function of the health community, and Labour Leader Keir Starmer and his Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting have transformed the party’s attitudes towards health policy over the last year, crucially also pledging to use the independent health community to bring down waiting lists, meaning a pragmatic cross-party consensus to improve patient outcomes.
As we approach the next election, health will remain a crucial battleground. It’s one of the most important issues facing voters, and any political party putting themselves up for election without a clear plan to deliver the health services people want to see is unlikely to win.
The reality is, however, that healthcare in Britain needs long-term, not sticking plaster solutions. Whilst money, of course, has a role to play, it’s deeper than that. No hospital can deliver the care they want without skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Working with healthcare leaders and Universities, Justine and Anne have established a major new advocacy campaign to tackle the recruitment challenges - ‘Your local NHS: be at the heart of it’. The campaign was launched in parliament by Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting just a few weeks ago, alongside former Conservative Health Minister Dame Caroline Dineage. The campaign will showcase the work that innovative Purpose Coalition members are already doing across the country and demonstrate how their role is crucial for levelling up - making a positive difference not only for their staff but also having a tangible impact on their patients and the communities they serve.
Health is at the forefront of voters' concerns, and as the UK continues to deal with the impact of the pandemic, there is much to do. Making sure patients can access the care they need is going to require cross-sector collaboration with business, universities, government and health providers, and the Purpose Coalition aims to be at the forefront of helping deliver it.