The Royal College of Physicians has today published a five-point plan for the next government. The plan calls for political parties to stop reorganising the NHS, to increase funding and to commit to an NHS free at the point of delivery. Publication of the plan comes on the eve of the party conference season and is intended to ensure that politicians consider the five-point plan ahead of the next general election. The plan warns of an ‘impending financial crisis’ unless action is taken.
RCP president Professor Jane Dacre, who will be attending party conferences with other senior RCP representatives, said“The NHS has suffered badly from the instability caused by constant reorganisation, and funding policies that have made it harder for hospitals, GPs and community services to work together to improve patient care. The next government must commit to a long term vision that brings joined-up care to patients wherever they are. They must also increase funding quickly to safeguard the NHS from an impending financial crisis, and reassure the public that the NHS will remain free at the point of delivery.”
The five-point plan, titled ‘Future hospital: more than a building’, calls on the government to achieve the following points.
- Remove the financial and structural barriers to joined-up care for patients
- Invest now to deliver good care in the future
- Prioritise what works in the NHS and improve what doesn’t
- Promote public health through evidence-based legislation
- Adopt the Future Hospital model as a template for service redesign
The plan can be viewed in full on the RCP’s website at the link below:
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/future-hospital-more-building
