General Election 2024: What The Manifestos Mean for HealthTech
Last week marked the halfway point of what the BBC called the 'long slog' to polling day. Whilst I can understand this sentiment, I find it a tad glum. Though I certainty have not had as good a time as Ed Davey who I have enjoyed watching as he utilises a unique style of campaigning.
But with manifestos coming out, we are in a better position to predict what the next government’s priorities may look like. Recent polling puts Labour, the Conservatives and Lib Dems at the top in terms of seats, whilst Reform take third in terms of voting intention. Consequently, we have decided to include them in our analysis. Attached you will find a table mapping policy intentions from Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and Reform manifesto’s against the three overarching themes in ABHI’s Plan For HealthTech (the best manifesto of this election).
The Lib Dems kicked off the week releasing their manifesto on Monday 11th June, titled 'For a Fair Deal', with the word 'fair' being reiterated in each of their five overarching policy areas, and 69 times across all 117 pages. Interestingly, the Greens took the same approach, with words like ‘fair’ and ‘fairer’ appearing 14 times in their manifesto contents page alone. The Lib Dem’s 'fair deal' on public services is largely centred around health, specifically improving waiting times and referrals. This will be achieved using their 10-year plan for investment in hospitals and primary care, with specific references to investment in new technologies and digital innovations. We were pleased to see emphasis on the importance of diagnostics and primary care, where the Lib Dems promised the implementation of a 10-year Strategic Diagnostics Plan, though what this includes is not yet clear.
From a digital standpoint, there is some alignment between Lib Dem policy and ABHI’s positions, where the Lib Dems intend to ensure that every care setting has electronic records. They also commit to creating a regulatory framework for AI, with aims of influencing global AI regulation and negotiating a part in the EU-US Trade and Technology council. Though we do not yet have any detail on their position regarding AI, so it is difficult to say whether we can fully support their stance. Their plans for research and innovation, as expected, largely revolve around participation in European affairs, where they will continue participation in Horizon Europe and join the European Innovation Council. They go on to reference regulation where they promise to seek a ‘comprehensive mutual recognition agreement’ with the European Medicines Agency. Whilst this is more impactful for pharmaceuticals, the acknowledgement of recognition being something to work towards is a step in the right direction. In fact, they were the only Party of the four to directly mention mutual or international recognition in their manifesto.
Next was the Conservative manifesto, and its tagline of a ‘Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future’. It is slightly easier to predict what another Conservative government might look like, given that they are the incumbent party, and we had the Spring Budget not too long ago. Their manifesto is significantly shorter than both Labour and the Lib Dems (though includes no pictures), and as a result their column in our table is somewhat slimmer. They did not make any clear commitments to regulatory policy in the document, aside from a brief reference to using a ‘well-equipped’ MHRA to support the life sciences sector, though what a ‘well-equipped’ agency looks like is not explained. However, there were multiple clear-cut promises of funding for research and manufacturing, where the other Parties’ were slightly coy, the Conservatives gave numbers. These commitments include increasing public spending on R&D by an additional £2billion per year and pushing forward with the Advanced Manufacturing Plan (a commitment also stated by Labour). There is certainly investment being made in the sector, but whether this is sufficient or long-term is not quite as clear.
The Conservatives also made commitments to diagnostics, with an intention to build 50 more Community Diagnostic Centres. There is a similar recognition of primary care, with the promise to build or modernise 250 GP surgeries to reduce the backlog and waiting times. A recognition shared by Labour, in their manifesto titled ‘Change’, and is also theme throughout the Green Party manifesto, with their slogan of ‘Real Hope. Real Change’.
Labour’s manifesto, whilst giving an insight into their approach to regulation, innovation and investment, does not go into great detail. But they do restate their commitment to their Life Sciences Plan, published earlier this year, providing more detail.
Given that polling is currently in Labour’s favour, I have chosen to approach their manifesto and life sciences plan, with more scrutiny. Their focus on regulatory innovation, and use of secondees into life sciences regulators to build regulatory capacity, is positive, and certainly suggests that our engagement with the team has had an impact. Their approach to regulatory diplomacy, however, as outlined in their Life Sciences Plan will require time. In the immediate future we would like to see them go further in committing to a framework for international recognition, alongside developing a route through the UKCA for innovation. We welcome commitments made to R&D budgets and funding and we would like to see an equivalent focus on the funding and mechanisms available for adoption, specifically through a passporting approach or the use of Chief Innovation Officers. Similarly, Labour has expressed favour for 10-year budgets for R&D, and we would encourage the same principles to be applied to the reform of capital funding in the NHS. There will hopefully be opportunities to build all these points into their committed plan for NHS Innovation and Adoption.
Labour emphasises the importance of prevention and primary care, stating their intent to ‘embed’ prevention as a focus in the wider healthcare system, utilising new technologies to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnostic services, and trial Neighbourhood Health Centres to try and reduce backlog and waiting times. The Party promises to modernise the NHS with the development of an NHS Innovation and Adoption strategy to give a clearer route for products to get into the NHS, and a focus on utilising data is specifically called out as an area for change but it is unclear currently as to what this will entail. We can expect a shift in strategy, where Labour has stated intentions to create a mission-driven government with NHS reform being a top priority. As part of this they want to put life sciences and innovation under the Health Secretary’s brief and bolster the Life Sciences Council with senior officials accountable to delivery expected to report into it. We also see a patient focus, where a commitment to reducing inequalities sits in the Labour Health Mission, and sets a target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.
The Reform manifesto, launched on Monday, is difficult to compare. You may notice that their column in the table is largely empty. Their ‘Contract With You’ is only 28 pages long, and therefore does not give much away regarding potential policies for manufacturing, technology, research or innovation. In their page on the NHS Reform, much like Labour, it states that the health service needs reforming. It intends to do this by cutting taxes for NHS staff and by writing off student fees pro rata yearly, over 10 years of NHS service for doctors, nurses and medical staff, in order to retain qualified workers. It aims to cut waiting times with their ‘Pharmacy First, GP Second, A&E Last’ campaign and promise tax incentives for pharmacies to aid this. The ‘contract’ does offer support to businesses however, with promises to list the minimum profit threshold to £100,000 and reduce the main Corporation Tax Rate yearly.
But is anything guaranteed? Are there any policies we can expect no matter what? Well, all four Parties analysed here acknowledge the need to reduce waiting times, and whatever the outcome of this election, waiting times will be used as a metric for success. All, excluding Reform, acknowledge the importance of health technology within the life sciences sector. Regulation, specifically in relation to healthcare, is referenced by these same Parties so we can glean that the work done by the sector to highlight the issue’s urgency has made an impact. Additionally, we can expect the Life Sciences Council to continue with both the Lib-Dems and Labour supporting industry councils. Both Labour and the Conservatives have promised to make changes to the NHS app, with aims to update or modernise it. But ultimately, we can only wait for the 5th of July to know for certain what may come of this election and even then, promises can be broken. No matter the result, as an association, and with your support, we will continue to work to advocate for the industry’s needs to ensure the Plan For HealthTech is realised.
