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New NHS reforms: what are the manifestos promising?

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conservative party tree 330x330px

Conservatives 

‘New GP contract to help develop wider primary care service’ and a revamp for primary care facilities ‘in every area’. Will support the Five Year Forward View and STPs that are ‘clinically led and locally supported’, and expand use of personal budgets.

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labour rose 330x330px

Labour

Will halt and review all STPs. Will reverse privatisation by giving NHS providers ‘preferred’ status and repeal the Health and Social Care Act, reinstating the power of the health secretary to have ‘overall responsibility for the NHS’.

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liberal democrats logo 330x330px

Liberal Democrats

Merge NHS and social care, pooling budgets by 2020 in ‘integrated care organisations’. Cross-party review of health and social care system. More use of personal budgets. Incentives to encourage GPs to work in disadvantaged areas, via a ‘patient premium’.

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snp logo 330x330px

SNP

Working on integrated joint boards between the NHS and local authorities to ‘develop a system that can serve a much wider population’.

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Green party logo 330×330

Green Party 

A NHS Reinstatement Act to ensure all health and dental services are publicly provided. NHS STPs ‘will be scrapped’. A single budget covering health and social services will ‘make life easier for people who need to access several types of service’.

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plaid poppy 330x330px

Plaid Cymru

Will introduce a ‘social care rescue plan’ to help people live independently and ‘increase the role of community hospitals’. Will ensure health and social care services are ‘seamlessly provided’.

UKIP

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ukip logo 330x330px

Plans to integrate health and social care by establishing a ‘Department for Health and Care,’ and create a ‘sustainably funded social care system assimilated into the NHS.’

Pulse reality check

It is interesting that even the Conservative manifesto recognises the controversy surrounding STPs and adds a caveat to the party’s support for the plans. Worryingly, the other parties sound like they want to see yet another NHS reorganisation – the last thing anyone needs right now. Politicians, please keep your hands off!

This is part of a series of articles where Pulse reality checks all the manifesto promises from the main parties and their significance for GPs. Click here for all our Election 2017 coverage.