HEALTH, WELLBEING AND THE NHS

Investment in the NHS

UK health services need a programme of public investment, to bring spending back above the average in northern Europe as it once was. Healthcare will be a public service funded by, run by and accountable to local and national government. Immediate priorities for additional expenditure will include the reinstatement of nursing bursaries, to end the critical shortage of trained and specialist nurses as quickly as possible.

Community Health

Finance will be diverted away from centralised facilities towards primary and community healthcare, illness prevention and health promotion. We will create new Community Health Centres to be the focal points for self-help and locally-based initiatives and to provide a wide range of services including primary healthcare and health education. Specialist services such as midwifery, obstetrics, family planning, counselling and psychiatry, will be available. People will be provided with easier direct access to nurse practitioners and other non-medical health and social care workers. These health centres will also pioneer preventative healthcare, helping people of all ages to live healthier lifestyles, and will have walk-in facilities for patients with minor health problems.

Mental Health
Mental health care must at last be put on an equal footing with physical health care for everyone, including those with age-related mental impairments. Funding will be focused to achieve this outcome, and to ensure that everyone who needs it
can access evidence-based mental health therapies based on the NICE guidelines within 28 days .

Sexual and reproductive health
We intend to ensure that all forms of birth control are free, to give women a real choice of the birthcontrol that works best for them. We also propose that PrEP – a daily pill which prevents HIV infection – is provided by NHS England free and without delay.

End-of-life care
Existing UK expertise about palliative care will be the basis for further development and expansion of end-of-life services. Hospitals, clinics and care homes should promote the knowledge and understanding of the patient process of dying.
Universal palliative care training will be required for all clinical, care and ancillary staff, appropriate to each staff member’s role.

Reducing other impacts on health
One fifth of the NHS clinical budget is devoted to treating illness caused by unemployment,inequality, poor housing and pollution. Green Party reforms in these sectors of the economy will reduce the load on the health service. In addition, our comprehensive reform of Social Care will have an immediate beneficial effect on those needing care and on their carers.