The future of UK healthcare has been called into question by the televised general election debates and healthcare manifestos of each political party. It’s a hotly debated topic and one which Benenden Healthcare has been following. We’ve been watching industry and nationwide responses to each healthcare matter and each debate, with the aim of identifying in an independent and objective manner what the future healthcare service could look like under a variety of political parties and what this could mean for healthcare providers in the UK.
Amongst its healthcare commitments, a Liberal Democrat Government has vowed to make the NHS work better by extending best practice and improving hospital discharge times, maximising the number of day case operations, reducing delays prior to operations, and where possible moving consultations into the community. They will also give every patient the right to choose to register with the GP they want, without being restricted by where they live. They also propose the right to access GP by email and ensure that local GPs are involved in providing out of hours care.
At Benenden Healthcare, we recognise that if we are to safeguard the future of the UK’s healthcare services and retain the right of United Kingdom residents to have continued access to NHS GPs, diagnosis and treatment, then we, just like the NHS, need to sculpt the healthcare services we provide to ensure that we remain an influential and adaptive force in UK healthcare. This means providing access to services and GPs at the patients’ convenience – not the organisation’s. Our GP 24/7 telephone helpline provides Benenden Healthcare members with access via telephone to UK GPs at weekends and out of hours – regardless of geographic location, affluence, age or pre-existing medical conditions. With just one phone call, our members can arrange a call back from a UK GP 24/7, 365 days a week at a time and day to suit the patient. This is just one of several telephone advisory services that provide out of hours access to medical and emotional support and advice.
The Liberal Democrat manifesto also commits to sharply reducing centralised targets and bureaucracy, replacing them with entitlements guaranteeing that patients get diagnosis and treatment on time. If they do not, the NHS will pay for the treatment to be provided privately.
Also of interest is the Liberal Democrat’s manifesto on supporting mutuals, co-ops and social enterprises. They believe that mutuals, co-operatives and social enterprises have an important role to play in the creation of a more balanced and mixed economy. Mutuals give people a proper stake in the places they work, spreading wealth through society, and bringing innovative and imaginative business ideas to bear on meeting local needs.
Benenden Healthcare recognises that if the political arena around healthcare does change, then a much greater share of the overall healthcare requirement for the UK could be taken by mutuals as public finances come under strain. If we, as a nation, want to create a health and social care system which provides high quality right across the board in healthcare and across all conditions, then we have to recognise that trying to fund that entirely from taxation is could be an increasingly difficult task.
Further information:
Information about the Labour Party Healthcare manifesto
Information about the Conservative Party Healthcare manifesto
The role of mutual providers, co-operatives and social enterprises in the delivery of public services
The future of healthcare in the UK
Benenden Healthcare’s response to cost savings
Disclaimer:
Benenden Healthcare is not affiliated to any political party, and the views expressed within this document are for the purpose of discussing the potential future of UK healthcare in an independent, objective manner.
