NHS Confederation - health and care leaders drop in

On the 22 May, I was pleased to meet health and care leaders at a parliamentary drop-in session hosted by the NHS Confederation and sponsored by Steve Brine MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee.  We discussed the work they are doing to provide high-quality services and improve population health, but also the challenges they are facing. I shared key issues that have been raised by my constituents around health and care services.

We talked about their priorities for the next government, ahead of the general election, to build the health of the nation and ensure the NHS is placed on a more sustainable footing for the future:

• Avoid top down structural reform in the health service in England for the next parliament

• Increase NHS capital spending across the UK and reform how the capital regime operates.

• Commit to fund and deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan alongside an equivalent plan for social care.

• Provide more care closer to home by enabling local health systems to proportionally increase investment in primary care and community-based services, mental health and social care

• Deliver a national strategy for health, given that most policy that impacts people’s health is made outside the NHS.

I will continue to stay in touch with health and care leaders to understand what support they need to deliver great services and improve the health of constituents.