Streeting presents ambitious plans for NHS, but can he make them a reality?

Labour may have got the basic idea right in prioritising primary care over hospitals if they come to power, but they risk deluding themselves about the scale of the task.In a major speech at the King’s Fund last week1 fleshing out the opposition’s plans for the NHS, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting touted New Labour’s achievements in slashing waiting lists and waiting times2 as proof that his party could turn around the fortunes of the health service.He said the plans would be delivered by a mixture of investment and reform, but “the state of the public finances means reform will have to do more of the heavy lifting.”Keir Starmer’s team have been keen to learn lessons from New Labour’s time in power, and it shows. There is more than a hint of former health secretary Alan Milburn in Streeting’s approach—positioning himself on the side of patients to challenge the system…
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