An Overview of current NHS Policies Long Term Plan in the Offing

An Overview of current NHS Policies: Long-Term Plan in the Offing

The adjacent factor that turned the results of referendum was cited around the struggles of the National Health Care. It brought the circumstances to light and revealed the importance of NHS to the citizens of United Kingdom. This article is constructed basing theories of Prime Minister Theresa May’s approach to tackle this situation and the action plan to renovate the circumstance into flourishing service once again.

Theresa May stated recently on the floor of the Parliament “the future of our healthcare looks bright, at least in the plan. In addition, she mentioned “This year and in advance of next year’s spending review I do want to come forward with a long-term plan. I want that to be done in conjunction with NHS leaders and provide a multiyear funding settlement consistent with our fiscal rules and balanced approach. Ensuring the NHS can cope with demand ahead of the spending review, I would suggest we can’t wait until next Easter. I think in this 70th anniversary year of the NHS’s foundation we need an answer on this”. This is in conjunction with her statement made in January that ‘nothing is perfect and there is more for us to do’, regarding the NHS and many of its problems.

These statements show the intent of the government to improve our NHS which has faced many obstacles in its functioning. The NHS has been struggling by the shortage of staff that ultimately affected the working conditions and environment drastically. This is in conjunction with her statement made in January that ‘nothing is perfect and there is more for us to do’, regarding the NHS and its many problems.

The PM has laid a long-term plan to replace the annual budgetary plans with some even suggesting that 4bn pounds a year funding has been earmarked to boost the NHS, though the government denied. However, the PM herself had told a committee of MPs that the government will find money for a long-term sustainable funding increase for NHS, though stopping short of saying where the money will come from.

Though the funding for this hasn’t been decided, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, had asked to spend the ‘Brexit dividend’ on the NHS. She had also stated that the 350 million euros paid weekly to the EU by the UK can be used for ‘priorities’ such as schools and the NHS after the Brexit. And this promise of the ‘Brexit dividend’ by the Tories has certainly played its part in the outcome of the result too.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Hunt has also claimed that the public is willing to pay more tax for the specific issue (NHS requiring more money due to the ageing population) but wanted to know every penny is spent wisely. On further query, he said the attraction to such a tax was that it would guarantee money for the elderly. Some others have also called for special taxes to fund the healthcare. It is estimated that raising income tax by 1 pound could generate around 5bn euros to help fund healthcare.

Having said that, it remains to be seen how this new plan will materialize and be funded. The onus is on Theresa May to break the deadlock between the parties and come up with a suitable solution for a sustainable increase in funding and to improve the deeply deprived healthcare system, as promised.