Post election we can start to see what promises the Conservatives plan to keep. Let us start with the positive, the Tories have at least stuck by the Cancer Drugs Fund, even though the original £200m figure has since been removed, they claim it will enable patients to access cancer drugs recommended by their doctor. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is still to be reformed to a system of value based pricing.
Looking at the areas the coalition government do not intend on following through with includes the Conservative’s pledge to scrap the ‘politically-motivated’ NHS targets which were not published in the coalitions agreement. It was expected that the 2 week wait to see a cancer specialist was to stay regardless however it looks like there will be no change across the board.
The coalition government plan on measuring the success of the NHS according to ‘the health results that really matter’ including improved survival rates for cancer and strokes and a reduction in hospital infections. With this they have pledged to publish detailed statistics on the performance of the healthcare providers to ensure greater transparency in their targets and results.
As we have seen a change in peoples attitude towards mental illness so the public’s awareness has risen. The government has promised greater access to therapies to help individuals tackle mental ill-health boding well for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.
With spending cuts a given it will be interesting to see how the government tackles the priorities within the NHS. Will the coalition government stay strong to their word or are they not obtainable given the climate, we can only wait an see.
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