Key health takeaways from major political parties

Many political parties have committed to NHS reform and improving healthcare services in their plans.

As the General Election approaches, it’s crucial to understand the specific healthcare proposals from each party and how they may affect the allergic community. Below, you’ll find the key takeaways from the healthcare proposals of prominent parties to help you make informed decisions when voting.

The Labour party has pledged to:

1. Reducing NHS waiting times: 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments each week, funded by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-domiciled tax statuses.
2. Primary care reform: Reintroduce family doctors, streamline the NHS App, and cut red tape to improve appointment access and reduce GP workloads.
3. Neighbourhood health centres: Establish centres that integrate doctors, nurses, care workers, physiotherapists, and mental health specialists under one roof for comprehensive community care.
4. Expanding mental health services: Recruit 8,500 additional mental health staff and implement the Young Futures plan, including mental health professionals in schools and open access hubs for young people.
5. Enhancing technology and early diagnosis: Double the number of CT and MRI scanners and utilise technology for at-home tests and AI-driven cancer diagnosis.

The Conservative party has pledged to:

1. Sustainable financial footing for the NHS: Putting health and social care on a sustainable financial path to ensure the NHS remains available for future generations.
2. Increased NHS funding: Providing an additional £6.6 billion for the NHS and £7.5 billion for adult social care over the next three years, bringing total health spending to £192 billion per year.
3. Hospital building and diagnostic centres: Implementing a £3.7 billion program to build 40 hospitals by 2030 and open up to 160 new Community Diagnostic Centres by 2025.
4. Cutting COVID-19 backlogs: Launching the largest catch-up program in NHS history, aiming for 9 million more checks, scans, and procedures by 2026.
5. Recruiting more doctors and nurses: Achieving a record 1.2 million full-time equivalent staff in the NHS in England, with over 34,000 new staff members compared to the previous year, including nearly 4,000 more doctors and over 9,300 more nurses.
6. Reforming health and social care: Reducing bureaucracy, planning health and care services around patients’ needs, and making NHS England more accountable to taxpayers.

Reform UK has pledged to:

1. Zero NHS waiting lists in 2 years: Commit to eradicating waiting lists within two years through proactive measures while ensuring healthcare remains universally accessible.
2. Boost doctor and nurse availability: Offer tax relief to frontline NHS and social care staff to retain and attract professionals, prioritising patient care and reducing administrative burdens.
3. Utilise independent healthcare: Leverage both domestic and international healthcare providers to expedite care delivery, alleviate waiting times, and enhance patient access.
4. Incentivise private healthcare: Introduce tax relief incentives to encourage individuals to opt for private healthcare, thereby alleviating pressure on the NHS and improving overall care standards.
5. Invest in training: Remove barriers to medical education by eliminating training caps and providing financial incentives for healthcare professionals committing to NHS service, ensuring a sustainable and skilled workforce.
6. Empower patients: Implement an NHS voucher system to provide timely access to private treatment for patients facing delays in GP appointments or specialist consultations, prioritising patient needs.
7. Streamline operations: Focus on outcome-based approaches, negotiate cost-effective solutions, and review contractual agreements to enhance operational efficiency within the NHS.
8. Relieve A&E pressure: Implement a strategic approach to reduce A&E overcrowding by promoting alternative healthcare access points and increasing capacity within A&E departments.
9. Investigate excess deaths: Initiate a comprehensive public inquiry to investigate concerns related to excess deaths and vaccine-related harms, with the aim of improving public health outcomes and restoring public trust.

The Liberal Democrat party has pledged to:

1. Focus on prevention: Prioritise national health improvement by focusing on prevention, tackling inequalities, and adopting a cost-saving funding approach.
2. Empower communities: Restore Public Health Grant levels, allocating funds to communities with health disparities for collaborative spending decisions.
3. Children’s health measures: Restrict energy drink sales to under 16s, limit junk-food advertising, and grant local council authority over the presence of unhealthy food outlets near schools.
4. Promote movement: Launch a nationwide campaign to encourage exercise, dedicating a bank holiday for wellness events.
5. Schools and hospitals standards: Implement higher food standards in schools and hospitals to ensure healthy diets for children and patients.
6. Address vaping: Regulate vaping with standardized packaging, advertising restrictions, and bans on disposable vapes to reduce usage among minors while supporting smoking cessation for adults.
7. Blood pressure access: Expand blood pressure tests in community spaces for underserved populations.
8. Social prescribing: Invest in community projects to combat loneliness and share best practices among health services.
9. Digital health: Introduce a kite-mark for verified health apps, enabling individuals to manage their health effectively.
10. Critical health infrastructure: Consider a national designation to protect local health facilities during crises.