Labour’s summer campaign is running throughout August and September, with a different theme each week, detailing our policy programme for a fairer and more equal Britain. During this campaign the Labour Policy Forum wants to hear your ideas on the challenges we face and to help build on our progressive policies for the many, not the few.
This week is about our NHS. Only Labour will stand up for the NHS. We will always give the NHS the money it needs and will join up services from home to hospital with a properly integrated health and social care service.
The number of people waiting longer than 4 hours in A&E has soared. In 2016/17 2.5m people waited 4 hours or longer in A&E compared to just over 350,000 in 2009/10.
Labour will boost capital funding for the NHS to ensure patients are cared for in buildings fit for the 21st Century and stand up for patients’ rights to high quality and timely care. We will take one million people off the waiting list, guarantee that patients can be seen within four hours in A&E and put safe staffing levels into law.
On mental health, spending fell by £600m between 2010–15 and there are over 6,600 fewer mental health nurses than in 2010.
Labour will make sure that mental health is given the same priority as physical health. We will ring-fence mental health budgets and ensure funding reaches the frontline.
Hospitals are in financial crisis. Trusts ended the last year hundreds of millions of pounds in deficit and per head NHS spending is due to fall next year.
Labour will give the NHS over £30 billion of extra investment over the next parliament. We will invest an extra £8 billion to tackle the crisis in social care.
What do you think?
We want you to get involved and help build on our manifesto pledges. By posting on our website you can give your ideas around key challenges for our NHS, submit a new policy idea or highlight an aspect of health and social care that you think should be addressed.
Find out how to make a submission here: https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/about/get-involved
Find out more on Labour’s education policy here: http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php/manifesto2017/healthcare-for-all
