The Lib Dems backed a motion at their autumn conference in Brighton
At the Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference in Brighton this week, party members voted to support a series of proposals on health and social care.
The party’s deputy leader and health spokesperson Daisy Cooper proposed a motion entitled “Our Plan to Save the NHS”, which was overwhelmingly supported by members at the conference.
By passing the motion, the Liberal Democrats have issued a number of calls on the new Labour government. Chief among them is a call for a plan to increase the number of GPs by 8,000 and to ensure that everyone in the country has the right to see a GP within seven days or within 24 hours in an emergency.
The policy backed by the party also calls for the government to guarantee “access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care”, commit to ensuring all cancer patients start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, and investment in the NHS to “end the scandal of crumbling roofs, dangerous concrete and life-expired buildings.”
On social care, the Liberal Democrats also endorsed free personal care and a higher minimum wage for carers. The party has also backed “walk-in mental health hubs for young people in every community and introducing regular mental health check-ups at key points in people’s lives.”
Much of the policy adopted by the Liberal Democrats at the conference reflects the positions the party advocated during the 2024 general election campaign.
Writing for Left Foot Forward in June this year, Daisy Cooper set out the Liberal Democrats commitments in the election. She wrote: “We’d start by bringing forward plans to introduce a legal right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if it’s urgent, boosting GP numbers for 8,000 and allowing pharmacists to prescribe a wider range of treatments to take pressure off GP surgeries.
“Dentists too would be encouraged back to the NHS by reforming the outdated dental contract, to ensure that everyone needing an urgent or emergency appointment could get one.”
She went on to write: “We’ve made a big bold pledge to introduce free personal care, ending the injustice of forcing the most vulnerable to bear the costs and get everyone the high quality care they need.
“That requires a well paid and supported workforce, which is why we’d introduce a higher Carer’s Minimum Wage to attract people back into the profession.”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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