Think tank Policy Exchange has released a report outlining how “ruthless prioritisation of policy will be needed” from new health secretary Wes Streeting to provide clarity and confidence in Labour’s plans to reform the NHS, and identifying five key areas deemed “mission critical” where progress should be demonstrated in the government’s first 100 days.
The five focuses highlighted by Policy Exchange are improving waiting times by reducing list size; improving access to primary care; boosting the medical workforce; focusing on preventative healthcare for children; and effective winter planning.
Suggested priority actions for Labour in the report include sharing hospital-level statistics on waiting lists so that performance can be monitored; establishing and acknowledging the measures and milestones associated with primary care reform; setting a target for all GP practices to offer patients a “full range” of options to book and manage appointments by the end of of this year; and sharing proposals to improve NHS working conditions such as enhancement of the electronic staff record.
Wider recommendations from Policy Exchange include the appointment of an extended ministerial office to enhance technical expertise and delivery capability around key capital investment programmes, such as digital transformation and the new hospital programme; and investigating the potential of a ‘Digital Health and Care Bill’ to examine legal implications of making health data ‘patient-owned’ through channels such as the NHS App. Additionally, the report encourages reform of incentive structures for the adoption of technology, and working with CQC to “ensure regulation involves speedy adoption of new technology”.
The new government and the NHS
In line with Policy Exchange’s report, HTN recently asked our audience: which of Labour’s key areas of focus should take priority for the new government? Read what our audience had to say here.
We explored the plans shared in last week’s King’s Speech around the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill; and we highlighted Wes Streeting’s order for a full independent investigation to be carried out into the state of the NHS to deliver the “hard truths” facing the national health service.
HTN also reported on Labour’s appointment of two ministers with responsibility for key areas of NHS transformation including the federated data platform, technology and innovation, and cyber security.
And finally, we examined Labour’s manifesto and what it could mean for the NHS in detail here.
