Our expectations of living a long, healthy life with access to the latest medicines and quality care free at the point of delivery are putting incredible strains on our health service and those who work in it. In seeking to square this difficult circle politicians are exhorting us to lead healthier lifestyles and access as much care and support as close to home as possible. For those of us who do need access to medical care, politicians of all parties are encouraging us to take greater interest and responsibility for understanding what our care ‘pathway’ looks like and how we might tailor the services available to us to help meet our needs. This focus on the patient rather than the provider has led to debate over the status of the provider (public or private) and the capability of providers at a more local level (like PCTs / GPs) to commission services to meet their patient’s needs.

In reality however, there is not much room for any of the three main parties to manoeuvre. Budgets remain tight, despite record investment and the aggressive fiscal management of the last couple of years. Workforce issues are legion, ranging from pressure for expansion, retention and pay. Furthermore, whilst there is some sympathy with Lord Darzi’s new architecture for health service delivery, there is little appetite within the NHS for futher organisational reform on a grand scale.

Over 60 years later, the NHS is as political as ever. Political parties are likely to intensify the debate on the role of the NHS in society and how best to improve it; how it has changed for better or worse over the last decade; how the professions have developed; how the private and third sectors might shape the delivery of services; and, inevitably, how to avoid the worst effects of a predicted £11bn short-fall in funding by 2015.

BPPA offer the full suite of services to help you navigate the politics of the health and well-being debate, including:

- Parliamentary and stakeholder monitoring
- Ad hoc research briefing and advice
- Message development
- Contact building
- Informal networking
- Campaigning
- Media training
- Stakeholder Engagement and political intelligence at EU level

Our team of consultants in our London office is supported as required by senior health policy counsel at Bell Pottinger Group level and through BPPA’s Brussels office.

Contact: Liam McCloy, Director, Health Policy
lmccloy@bell-pottinger.co.uk