Gordon Brown has confirmed that the next general election will take place on 6th May this year and with that date only a matter of weeks away, each party is busy campaigning to make sure their policies are the most talked about. Health has been very much at the centre of the political battle for some time, but with the election campaigns really building pace now, the Independent has outlined the major policies for each party when it comes to the NHS.
Interestingly, the Liberal Democrats are the ones to make most reference to NPfIT, claiming they would scrap the programme, as well as scaling back the “choose and book” appointment scheme. Their focus instead would be on introducing varied waiting times “for different conditions in place of the existing blanket 18-week target, and mental health services would be included”. While the proposal to target different conditions separately certainly has its merits, without a focus on healthcare IT, how are these targets to be met?
While NPfIT is not without its critics, it has achieved a significant amount since implementation and with the money that has been ploughed into this, a complete scrappage, especially with no supporting IT plans in place, risks causing more problems for the NHS.
Labour’s current focus on health seems to be steering clear of NPfIT, while instead opting to promote the flexibility they would look to offer the public through the introduction of “patient rights”. These would see people able to see doctors at weekends and in areas closer to where they work, with the removal of GP boundaries. They also claim they will reduce management costs by 30% over four years, if elected.
Finally, the Conservatives offer proposals that would see the NHS opened up to competition from private organisations, as well as introducing an independent board for the NHS. They also claim they would scrap “politically motivated” targets and place more emphasis on outcomes, “including survival rates for cancer, stroke and heart disease as well as patients’ satisfaction levels”.
The next few weeks will see endless campaigning by all three parties and the discussion on health is sure to be one of the hottest topics and while the Liberal Democrats may be the only party currently directly tackling NPfIT, such a large scale programme is guaranteed to be at the centre of several political debates, as no matter what the outcome of the election, the development of IT in healthcare is essential to ensuring high quality service for patients, making NPfIT a real talking point.
