20.11.19
RCoA publish General Election manifesto calling for ‘21st century’ health service
The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) are calling on the next government to deliver a 21st century national health service.
Their 2019 General Election manifesto outlined how the next UK government needs to address the critical issues faced by our national health service.
Calls for future governments to agree to the removal of barriers to multidisciplinary perioperative care (the care of patients from the moment surgery in contemplated through to full recovery), providing the safest and best possible patient care.
Other points in the manifesto include the need for a new no-blame NHS culture, the investment in NHS staff through all stages of their career and long-term planning into a sustainable healthcare service.
The manifesto highlights the need for more time and financial support for integrated care leaders to take their work to the next stage of development.
Professor Ravi Mahajan, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said:
“The UK public and NHS clinicians across all medical disciplines are expecting our politicians to listen to those with the experience and understanding on how to start resolving the on-going healthcare crisis. Anaesthetic-led multidisciplinary teams across the NHS continue to work incredibly hard under unrelenting pressures to deliver safe patient care with the resources available to them.
“Workforce retention is low and there is poor morale amongst clinicians of all grades. What the next government needs to deliver is not a comprehensive re-structure but a focus on integration across services as well as investment in infrastructure and staff wellbeing so we can make the best use of our resources and work together to build a truly sustainable 21st century NHS.”
RCoA claims future parties need to realise the vision of a multidisciplinary workforce designed around the patient and take a population health approach including the role of NHS in prevention.