Since
coming to power in 2010, firstly the coalition Government then the majority
Conservative Government has increased spending on the NHS. During the course of
this Parliament (2015-2020), spending will increase by an extra £10 billion.
This year, the increase in health funding is 4% in real terms – three times the
rate of inflation. The real point however, is not to do with money- however
much the Conservatives put in and however much Labour says it will put in, it
is down to the NHS being effectively managed.
STPs
are about building a health and care system for local needs. Last year, the NHS
outlined a new approach to try and better integrate health and social care.
This is where the STPs come in. STPs will help drive genuine improvements and
sustainable outcomes for patients based on local requirements, they will take
into account of the scale needed to deliver the public health services required
to improve patient outcomes with complex health and social care needs.
Some
organisations such as 38 Degrees have argued STPs are a secret process and a Trojan
horse for privatisation. This is incorrect, STPs were announced in December
2015, in the NHS planning guidelines on the NHS website. Despite what Labour
and 38 Degrees say ad infinitum, the NHS is not being privatised, it will still
be free at the point of need and funded out of general taxation.
Thank
you for contacting me about the NHS and STPs. If you would like to know more
information about the issue, you can read more here:
