General Election 2017: Time to renew health and care policy

In the wake of the General Election announced last week by the Prime Minister, Future Care Capital (FCC) has made several key recommendations about improving health and care for consideration by all political parties as they draft their manifestos. FCC regards this election as a critically important opportunity to promote innovative solutions to well-known challenges.

FCC, originally founded in 1945, with a long history in health and care education, is committed to delivering new thinking about health and care. The charity is an independent voice undertaking research to explore how health and care services can be delivered in the future.

The short and long-term policy recommendations launched today are intended to form the foundations of a practical and more unified health and care system. Key recommendations include:

• Appoint a new and independent health and care commissioner – to work with NHS England, the Department of Health, local authorities, and others to look at how, by driving alignment in the provision of health and care services, the next government can deliver the right level of support for current and future generations.
• A civil society fund – FCC believes there is a pressing need to nurture community-led health and care initiatives, so that people who wish to live independent lives can better access the support they need. The creation of a new civil society fund would incentivise pioneer-ing and sustainable community-led solutions to flourish.
• Caring for carers – informal carers make a valuable contribution that should be recognised more formally across the country. We are calling for the next government to establish a national ‘resilience and respite’ programme to nurture and care for carers.
• Creating career ladders for the caring profession – the recruitment and retention of care staff is a growing national priority. In order to address the gap in the care workforce and recognise the valuable contribution that professionals in this sector make, FCC would welcome the introduction of a new care career ladder, enabling workers from across allied health professions to obtain higher level care qualifications.
• A Care Covenant – the next government needs to plan and deliver against a challenging backdrop of growing demand and expectation. FCC urges the next government to encourage a national debate to explore a new Care Covenant, setting out individual rights and responsibilities in respect of health and care that are pertinent to the demands of the 21st century.

These policy recommendations focus on practical steps to support a renewed focus on health and care during the next parliament.

FCC is committed to engaging, educating and involving all generations in the development and delivery of unified health and care provision.

As the General Election progresses, FCC will look to expand upon these recommendations and promote a positive debate about the future of our health and care system.