Government Publish Coalition Programme and Ministerial Portfolios 

David Cameron and Nick Clegg this morning published their coalition programme plans that will form the basis of the governing partnership. The coalition health plans are focussed on implementing many of the ideas the Conservatives developed whilst in opposition- NHS Board, year on year real terms increases, cancer drugs fund and allowing patient to rate the quality of care they receive from their hospital.

The coalition government appears to have dropped the Conservative pledge to scrap NHS targets such as 18 week wait as this fails to appear anywhere in the document.

Despite the coalition’s pledge to ‘stop top down reorganisations’ the document does contain significant changes in the shape of an NHS Board and GP commissioning- measures which could have serious implications for NHS structures.

Points of interest include-

• “We will develop Monitor into an economic regulator that will oversee aspects of access, competition and price-setting in the NHS” (p25, col2)
• “We will significantly cut the number of health quangos” (p24)
• “We will establish an independent NHS board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidelines” (p25, col2)
• “We will stop the top-down reorganisations of the NHS that have got in the way of patient care....” (p24 col1)
• “create a Cancer Drugs Fund” (p25 col2)
• “We will reform NICE and move to a system of  value-based pricing, so that all patients can access the drugs and treatments their doctors think they need” (p25 col2)
• “We will give every patient the power to choose any healthcare provider that meets NHS standards, within NHS prices.  This includes independent, voluntary and community sector providers” (p26 col1)
• “We will strengthen the power of GPs as patients’ expert guides through the health system by enabling them to commission care on their behalf.” (p24 col2)

To view the full document visit- Coalition Agreement document

Ministerial Portfolios

Andrew Lansley today confirmed the new ministerial portfolios- 

• Simon Burns MP is Minister of State for Health;
• Paul Burstow MP is Minister of State for Care Services;
• Anne Milton MP is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health; 
• Earl Howe is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality.

Significantly for industry Earl Howe has been given responsibility for Medicines, Pharmacy & Industry, NICE, Research and Development and Innovation, amongst other things. ABHI recently met with Earl Howe to discuss Conservative health policy and the medical technology industry. We will look to continue these discussions as soon as possible.

To view the full ministerial portfolios visit- http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_116244

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