As the election of 4^th July nears, FPM have investigated what Reform UK, Green Party, the SNP and Plaid Cymru are pledging for health and social care in their manifestos. (Article contains link to Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem pledges too at the end)

Reform UK

THE FIRST 100 DAYS:

• All frontline NHS and Social Care staff will pay zero basic rate tax for three years in a bid to end Doctor and Nurse shortages, and attract those who have left to return.
• End training caps for all UK medical students and write off student fees pro rata per year, over 10 years of NHS service for all doctors, nurses, and medical staff.
• Use Independent Healthcare Capacity by harnessing independent and not-for-profit health provision in the UK and overseas.
• Relieve pressure on the NHS by implementing a tax relief of 20% on all Private Healthcare and Insurance. Those who rely on the NHS will then enjoy faster, better care. Independent healthcare capacity will grow rapidly in turn, providing competition and reducing costs.

THEREAFTER:

• If NHS patients cannot see a GP within 3 days, they will receive a voucher for private treatment. For a consultant it would be 3 weeks and for an operation it would be 9 weeks.
• Improve efficiency by ensuring operating theatres are open on weekends and cut waste by charging those who fail to attend appointments without notice.
• Abolish the NHS Race and Health Observatory.
• Save A&E by creating a new campaign ‘Pharmacy First, GP Second, A&E Last’ in a bid to cut waiting times. They also want to offer tax incentives for new pharmacies and those who employ more staff to help relieve pressure on A&E.

You can read Reform UK’s full manifesto here and costings breakdown here.

Green Party

The Green Party is committed to a fully public, properly funded health and social care system and to keep the profit motive away from the NHS. Green MPs are committed to:

• A year-on-year reduction in waiting lists.
• Guaranteed access to an NHS dentist.
• Guaranteed rapid access to a GP and same-day access in case of urgent need.
• Immediate boost to the pay of NHS staff, including the restoration of junior doctors to help with the retention of staff.

To be able to meet these aims, the Green Party estimates that £8bn of additional annual expenditure would be needed in the first full year, rising to £28bn in total by 2030.

While also working to lessen the burden on the NHS, Green MPs will push for: 

• Increased funding for primary care, with the additional annual spending reaching £1.5bn by 2030.
• Restore public health budgets to 2015/16 levels with an annual increase of £1.5bn. 

The Green Party has also outlined changes for NHS Dentistry:

• Dentists rewarded for taking on new NHS patients via a new NHS dentists’ contract.
• Additional investment of £3bn annually by 2030.
• Funding for community hubs and primary care to roll-out free dental nursing for children and those on low incomes. 

The Green Party also wants increased funding for mental health care to put it on an equal footing with physical health care, enabling patients to access mental health therapies within 28 days. They also want to implement:

• Trained and paid counsellors in every school and sixth form
• Adequate support in schools for neurodivergent children and children with special needs

You can read the Green Party’s full manifesto here and costings breakdown here. 

Scottish National Party

The SNP want to invest £300m to drive down waiting times in Scotland, but they want to go further and put pressure on the UK Government to:

• Protect the NHS from privatisation through their ‘Keep the NHS in Public Hands’ Bill and will push the next government to back their bill.
• Address inflationary pressures and improve performance by spending an additional £10bn extra each year on the NHS.
• Increase investment in NHS England staff pay and conditions of at least £600m by matching Scotland’s NHS pay deals.
• Standing up for the workforce by calling for the reversal of recent moves by the Conservatives to stop care workers from overseas bringing their families with them to work in the UK. 

You can read the full SNP manifesto here and costings breakdown here.

Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru strongly believes that healthcare should be free at the point of delivery, funded through general taxation. They oppose privatisation and will work to ensure the NHS is properly funded through a new fairer needs-based funding model in Wales. Plaid Cymru’s policies also include:

• Wage restoration pledges for the NHS staff must be implemented as soon as possible.
• Restore funding for GP’s to 8.7% of the Welsh health budget and recruit a further 500 GPs across the country.
• Increase the availability of degree apprenticeships.
• A National Care Service for Wales. Plaid Cymru believe that social care, like health care, should be free at the point of use
• Dental charge increases would be scrapped and a new dental school would be opened in Bangor to help the country's growing need for dentists.
• Support the reform of the Mental Health Act in Wales.

You can ready Plaid Cymru’s full manifesto here and costings breakdown here.

(To see what Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems are proposing, click here).