British election manifestos: views from those in education, health and social care

Labor launched its election manifesto on Thursday, focusing on economic growth and offering a fresh start after fourteen years of Conservative rule.

Here, six people working in education, health and social care share their views on the promises of Britain’s political parties.

‘The NHS needs incentive and retention programmes’

Part of the Labor manifesto is to remove the “8am, scramble for GP appointments”. This fuels the already prevalent hostility towards primary care – GPs and their teams work very hard to make appointments. The number of GP visits is increasing all the time, and the majority of the people were seen within two weeks, and the majority were seen face to face.

The area where I work already has excellent integrated services with close collaboration between different teams. I believe that the problems arise in areas where it is difficult to recruit and retain staff, such as deprived rural areas. This would require incentive and retention schemes, which are not mentioned in the manifesto.

There is also no mention in the budget of increasing benefits (although Labor has said this will happen). universal credit revised) or increasing substance abuse services. These are clearly the causes of poverty, poor health outcomes and increased crime. I would also have liked to see a tangible plan to bring healthcare back under public control.

Sara McNamara, 33, GP in London

‘The Lib Dems’ commitment to social care is a relief’

The party that really impressed me this year is the Lib Dems and them commitment to social care. It’s a breath of fresh air and if nothing else comes of it, they’ve managed to get people talking about it.

The Lib Dems really get it: their leader is a carer and has that first-hand experience and you can tell he believes in these things. They have put healthcare providers at the center of their manifesto, including by increasing the hourly rate for formal healthcare providers. As far as I am concerned, there is a crisis in both informal and formal care for various reasons.

We currently have a shortage of good quality healthcare facilities that we can use to support vulnerable people in the community. There is a real epidemic of poor quality care and that is a cost problem. Part of the reason for this is that it is a poorly recognized and remunerated sector that requires a lot of skills, with very little resources for training and development, and struggles to recruit and retain staff. Informal caregivers are not valued and not well supported.

Stacey, 39, NHS social worker in West Midlands

‘The Green Party’s manifesto has real substance’

Labor plans to recruit 6,500 teachers, but also says teachers are leaving the profession in droves. How can recruiting new teachers help?

Labor should either tackle academy principals’ pay or, ideally, abolish academies as they have been used as a covert privatization program that provides incentives to cut spending on students. (Labour plans to do this replace some Ofsted grades with a report card system), but they have to behind the call from the unions for abolishing and replacing Ofsted.

The Conservative manifesto amounts to effective cuts to all schools. Extremely important topics for students, such as sex education, will be weaponized in a fake culture war. Children will suffer from the extreme pressure placed on them by constant testing.

The Green Party is the only one I’ve read with any substance plans to tackle the funding and recruitment crisis. They won’t be in government, but they can add a voice to abolishing Ofsted and reducing high-stakes testing, which in itself is extremely effective policy.

Robin, 38, science technician at a secondary school in Yorkshire

‘I’m glad Labor has included breakfast clubs’

I am pleased that Labor has taken up this country’s policies free breakfast clubs for primary schools. I think this is an often misunderstood issue. I’ve heard a lot of people respond with “why can’t people give their kids toast?” But breakfast clubs are about so much more than food, even though food is one of the biggest expenses when you’re struggling.

Paying for staff supervision makes a difference. At our school, children can participate in craft activities, play with toys they may not have access to at home, and play outside in a safe environment. They are also given extra opportunities to develop their social skills and many with SEN or emotional needs find that a gentler, friendlier start helps them get through the day. As a teacher, it gives you a chance to check in with kids who are struggling or need support before you get in front of the full class.

For working parents it can be an additional expense if they have to pay for the breakfast club five days a week for more than one child. Dropping kids off at 8 a.m. and knowing they are safe allows some parents to get back to work. What kind of country are we if we begrudge children this?

I would have preferred to see a bigger wealth tax in the Labor manifesto, but it might be wise to keep it for a second term.

Claire Openshaw, 56, a primary school teacher in Hull

‘I’m glad the Lib Dems plan to give mental health the same respect’

I am happy with the commitments of the Lib Dems And Work to hire more general practitioners. I am aware of the recent issues surrounding practices receiving funding hire physician assistants or pharmacists, but not general practitioners. This has led to patients being seen and (in addition to) less qualified and experienced doctors General practitioners have difficulty finding work.

I’m also glad to see that the Lib Dems are planning to give equality of appreciation for mental health. Too often, mental health care is underfunded and relegated to second-rate buildings in the parking lot, as far away from the acute hospital as possible.

Regarding the strikes, I think the BMA made a major error of judgment by calling for further industrial action during the election campaign (from 27 June to 2 July). I have participated in all previous strikes because I felt the benefits of the action outweighed the negative impact on patient care. Strikes during a general election will only harm patient care without the possibility of long-term benefits for the NHS. For this reason, I think picket line turnout will be very low.

Dominic, 32, junior doctor in London

‘Labor must commit to paying for reparations’

Although the Labor manifesto is titled Change, it is hardly a seismic shift from the status quo. It seems Labor is trying to avoid a Neil Kinnock moment by not announcing anything too outrageous.

The Tory manifesto contains some good ideas, such as cutting NI tax. The Labor manifesto talks about more NHS clinic provision in the evenings and at weekends, which should be cautiously welcomed. The NHS runs on caffeine and goodwill, and neither side appears to have grasped the loss of goodwill over the past fourteen years due to deteriorating working conditions and real pay cuts. Neither main party has mentioned the £100,000 cap on assisted childcare. Many colleagues with young families are cutting back on hours or forgoing additional clinics to stay under the limit. It is an obstacle to work.

I would welcome the extra income from additional evening and weekend clinics, but the feeling among the NHS consultants who would provide these services is that an extremely good offer would have to be made which would probably not be achieved without paying for the restoration first . .

Daniel, in his forties, a surgeon in Devon