Date/Time
Date(s) - 11.05.2012
10:00
–
15:00

Location
Toynbee Hall

Categories

• Policy seminar
• Socialist Health Association events

Labour left a legacy of a highly effective, popular and improving health service which will soon be wrecked by the Coalition reforms which have united virtually every key health organisationagainst them. One reason for the public’s ambiguity about Labour and the health deforms is that there appears no alternative vision from the party. Indeed, some clinicians and academics see Labour as not only opening the door to these changes, butplanning for them itself.

We have reached the stage in the political cycle where we must start to produce and alternative vision. We plan

• To influence LP health policy
• To build a coalition of support for a rational evidence based health policy

The issues our members think we should concentrate on are:

• Social care — the boundary between health and social care, the personalisation agenda, supported housing and residential care, and our response to the Dilnot Commission
• The balance between central and local health care and the future of the District General Hospital. Developing community services, telecare etc.
• Abuse of drugs, smoking and alcohol
• Competition, markets and choice, the role of the private sector, commissioning and the internal market
• Wellbeing and mental health
• Family support, health visiting and dysfunctional families
• Integrated care, continuity and primary care
• Quality standards, transparency, safety, dignity, whistle blowing, mortality rates, Hospital acquired infections— and consideration of the factors which hamper the spread of innovation. This area is going to be dominated by the fall-out from the Stafford enquiry.
• Democratic accountability and patient involvement (both individual and collective), role of local authorities, Community Development, central and local decision making
• Food policy, especially in relation to children
• Transport and exercise
• Rationing, and the comprehensiveness of health services

This list is not comprehensive, but is intended to support the work programme of the Health Policy Commission.It’s now clear that campaigning around the Government’s reform of the NHS is likely to continue, and that campaigning may help us to clarify the principles which we regard as important and differentiate our approach from that of the Government.

This seminar is designed to work out which of these areas we need to prioritise, what we agree about and how this programme relates to campaigning activity

Impossible Challenge? Where do we go with Labour Party Health Policy in 2012?

Timetable:

10am Introduction

10.15  Cllr Catherine West, Labour Party Health Policy Commission – role of local authorities

11am  Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour Party Health Policy Commission – public health

12 pm Lunch

1pm Dr Ruth Thorlby,  Nuffield Trust

3pm close

Notes from the discussion

Bookings