bWe’ll start the first full week of 2025 with one speech calling the NHS the “cornerstone” of his government’s plan to rebuild Britain, Sir Keir Starmer was, in a sense, stating the obvious. Healthcare is recognized by social democrats around the world as one of his party’s greatest achievements of all time.
Everyone knows that improving it is crucial if the polls are to move the government in the wrong direction. By thanking healthcare staff who worked over Christmas while emphasizing the values of convenience and flexibility in customer service, Sir Keir sought to square the circle of reforms that promote the interests of both the workforce and the public to make.
Although the rhetoric was about Britain, the government’s health policy mainly affects England as health care is transferred. A new deal with the private sector and an additional £2.5 billion in annual investment will double the share of elective activities this sector is funded for. The promise of 17 new community diagnostic centers, open 12 hours a day, is starting to put flesh on the bones of a pledge to provide more care outside of hospitals.
After dismissing the disappointing delay to social care reform in an announcement from Health Secretary Wes Streeting last week, Sir Keir focused on health as a vehicle for national renewal. Martha’s rule, which allows patients’ families to seek a second opinion in hospital – and was campaigned for by a senior Guardian editor, Merope Mills – was singled out as an example of positive change and a counter to what the Prime Minister called it an ‘anthem’. of decline”.
A ten-year plan is being prepared setting out Labour’s vision for the NHS, alongside a multi-year spending review that will determine the budget. Tensions already exist between proponents of top-down targets as the most effective way to drive – and demonstrate – improvements and those who want priorities to be set locally. There is also a real risk of further strikes, following a pay settlement with trainee doctors last year, which left other staff groups frustrated at their own less generous deals. Although funding has increased, there is no prospect of the continued increases, averaging 5.5% per year, that have boosted the country’s health under New Labour.
Mr Starmer is right to strike an optimistic tone. Human longevity should be seen as both a miracle and a challenge; Britain’s socialized healthcare system and the strong public support for it prove that market values are not the only ones that count.
But wishful thinking about innovation should be avoided at all costs. Digital technology carries risks of exclusion – as does instant connection. Both people and machines can make changes with the right support and resources. Over-reliance on the private sector can lead to erosion of public healthcare. The current lack of dentists in some areas is a cautionary tale and ophthalmology (eye care) should not go in the same direction, with private providers being given the opportunity to take over and shape the service to suit their interests.
Ministers, including Mr Streeting, emphasize that pragmatism underpins their decision to invest in both private and public providers. But using existing capacity to reduce waiting lists should not become a step towards privatization. There are reasons to be both concerned and hopeful about the government’s direction.
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