NHS Confederation responds to Wes Streeting's conference speech

Responding to the Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary's speech at the Labour Party Conference, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“The aspirations outlined by the Shadow Health and Social Care secretary are admirable and there was much in his speech that will have health leaders sagely nodding in agreement, not least around its bold intention for a workforce plan for the NHS’s sister service, social care and a review of pay for its workers.

“While there are issues to be overcome and we need to see finer details, the £1.1bn to help provide an extra 2 million appointments would be greatly welcomed, as would delivery of an extra 700,000 dentist appointments, and funding for more diagnostic equipment.

“Given obesity will be the next big public health issue to tackle after smoking, introducing evidence-based measures such as a possible ban on junk food advertising targeted at children, would be a sensible step as part of a wider prevention agenda. Leaders will be pleased to hear Labour’s intention to place a greater emphasis on keeping people healthy and out of hospital.

“Greater prevention and a shift towards community care has been a long-held aim for health service leaders, who will want to see words turned to action were Labour to come to power, particularly around putting primary care at the heart of the health service.

“Where health leaders may differ in opinion from the Labour party is reform being more important than investment as both are needed. Any future government must ensure the NHS has what it needs, and at the moment it is crying out for capital investment to repair its crumbling estate, so leaders will argue that investment is of equal importance to reform.

“More detail is needed on what these reforms might look like in practice, and any incoming government should resist wholesale restructuring, but the general direction outlined by Labour is one that the health service would be on board with.”