Universities and hospitals will not be forced to take extra nursing students this year under Labour’s plan to increase trainee numbers by 1,000, plus the rest of today’s news and comment
Health debate between Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and UKIP. Norman Lamb calls for a non-partisan commission on future of NHS and social care.
Treasury is looking at bringing together health, social care and some welfare payment spending
Labour will not force universities to take extra student nurses
4.00pm The Health Foundation has responded to Labour’s 100 day plan to “rescue” the NHS.
Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, said: “All political parties that may play a part in the next government need to be clear about how they will address the £30bn funding gap by 2020-21. The Five Year Forward View proposes that £22bn should be found through efficiency savings and an extra £8bn a year should be the minimum amount of extra funding the NHS receives, assuming the health service can improve its productivity by 2-3 per cent each year to 2020-21 – a tough ask. If a party chooses to address this gap by not following this plan, it will need to give clarity as to how this will be done.
“Today’s announcement of a plan to rescue the NHS in the first one hundred days of the next parliament includes repealing part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and provides some examples of how health and social services could be more integrated. Labour has also previously alluded to ‘fundamental changes’ to address ‘big questions unanswered about integration of health and social services’ in the Five Year Forward View. It’s important that any party setting out an alternative to NHS England’s plan explains in detail what that entails and how long it will take for the effect of these changes to be felt.”
Two doctors involved in the case have also been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
Primary school teacher Frances Cappuccini died after giving birth by emergency caesarean section in October 2012 at the trust’s Pembury Hospital.
12.50pm Miliband has pledged to start collecting taxes from the Mansion Tax and tobacco levy within Labour’s first year in office which will go towards its NHS “rescue plan”.
However, universities and hospitals that take extra students will receive full funding, and could receive an additional premium in recognition of the short notice.
Labour leader Ed Miliband is due to say later today that if Labour forms the next government, the party will immediately ask universities to reopen admissions to nursing courses in September.
12.35pm Lamb says Labour was right to introduce maximum waiting times but didn’t include mental health.
12.05pm Lamb says public health needs to be centre stage. Floats idea of ring-fencing NHS and social care budgets.
12.00pm Manchester devolution plans are now being discussed at the health debate. Burnham says he has misgivings about the plans, they seem rushed. Hunt says he “can’t have it both ways” - can’t support local people making decisions on integration but then reject Manchester plans.
11.55am Sarah Montague raises issue of Northern, Eastern and Western CCG example where they tried to ration care.
Burnham says that’s a very different example to CCGs pushing for reorganisation.
11.50am A CCG leader in the audience asks what the parties will do to give commissioners freedom to make decisions without political intervention.
Burnham says politicians have “moral duty” to back change where it’s needed, but case for change isn’t always made well.
11.47am Health Foundation’s Anita Charlesworth say the £8bn shouldn’t be seen as a gift but as a “really tough settlement”.
11.45am Follow @hsjnews and @whazell for live Twitter updates on the Health Debate between Andy Burnham, Jeremy Hunt, Norman Lamb and UKIP’s Julia Reed.
So far Lamb has asked all parties to commit to a non-partisan commission on the future of NHS and social care.
Burnham said he would commit to this if the Lib Dems agreed to repeal the health and social care act.
Hunt was asked where the £8bn pledged for the NHS will come from. He said it would come from a strong economy.
10.13am: Exclusive: The Treasury is undertaking a quick turnaround project in the run up to the general election examining the potential savings from bringing together spending on health, social care and some welfare payments.
The “HMT health and social care cost pilot” will also examine the financial value of non-state contributions from unpaid carers and the third sector, HSJ has learned.
The nine week project will finish this month, shortly before the 7 May general election, according to several sources involved with the project.
9.34am: This morning health secretary Jeremy Hunt, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham care minister Rt Hon Norman Lamb and UKIP MEP Julia Reid will be taking part in an election debate on health and care at the British Library.
The debate starts at 11am. Follow HSJ Live and HSJ correspondent Will Hazell on Twitter at @whazell for updates.
Peninsula Community Health, which provides community services across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, was praised for its performance, particularly in light of the difficult financial situation when it launched in 2011.
Peninsula Community Health was created as a community interest company after services were spun out of the NHS as part of the Transforming Community Services initiative, inheriting debts from its former primary care trust.
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