A Health Manifesto for London
London is a leading world city, but for all the wonderful strengths of the NHS we do not yet enjoy a world class health service and many Londoners still have poor health outcomes.
The NHS spends approaching £11 billion a year in London. 50 million patient consultations, appointments and admissions take place annually. Economically, the health market is estimated to account for 7% of London’s GDP, employing almost 200,000 people.
London is a global centre for medical research. It is home to world famous hospitals such as Great Ormond Street and Moorfields, the world’s second largest medical charity in the Wellcome Trust, five medical schools and over 20 higher education institutions engaged in health studies.
Despite the size and depth of its health sector, London faces enormous healthcare challenges. There are significant inequalities in health outcomes between different areas and groups and, compared to the rest of the UK London suffers from a high prevalence of sexual health problems, infectious diseases, diabetes and high levels of obesity among young people.
With an expanding role in health for the Greater London Authority, the Mayoral and London Assembly elections in May offer the chance to put these issues firmly on the agenda. We ask all candidates in these elections actively to support the following steps to improve the health of Londoners.
Prevention
Preventative services can help people to stay healthy and reduce complications through early intervention when problems do arise. Helping people to take up physical activity can improve their health, for instance, while screening and immunisation programmes can protect people from disease.
Pledge One: To work to redress the low take-up of screening and immunisation programmes in London, and explore ways to help people follow healthier lifestyles.
Community services
Many Londoners struggle to access a local GP, and rely on hospital services for health concerns. Furthermore, some services that can be delivered in the community, such as mental health support, tend to be overly concentrated in secondary care.
Pledge Two: To engage the local NHS in discussions about how to increase access to primary care throughout London and deliver more community-based services.
Partnership
The roots of ill health lie outside the health service, and so do many of the potential remedies. The NHS and local government should work together and in partnership with the voluntary and private sectors to deliver coherent, holistic services to Londoners.
Pledge Three: To champion partnership at all levels of service delivery, leading discussions among commissioners and providers to make sure strong relationships flourish within the statutory sector and beyond.
Reaching out
London has a mobile, diverse population, which is a great strength but also a challenge for health services. Services must understand the populations they serve and break down any barriers to access that exist.
Pledge Four: To promote inclusion as a priority for all providers, and help foster new ways of working that encourage greater contact with hard-to-reach groups.
Commissioning
Improving commissioning is a priority for the NHS and local government. Good commissioning can produce innovation in service delivery, but it is vital that commissioners understand the range of providers and develop more strategic relationships to do so.
Pledge Five: To champion excellence in commissioning, identifying where gaps exist in skills and knowledge, and engaging providers in discussions about gaps in services.
Many great medical breakthroughs occurred in London, with global centres for specialist research in the capital. Building on this success is imperative if London is to retain its status.
Pledge Six: To promote London as one of the world’s leading cities for medical research, encouraging new specialist centres and links with universities and industry.
The Olympic challenge
London will host the biggest sporting event in the world in 2012. The potential benefits for Londoners must be realised. Providing excellent new community facilities and increasing participation in physical activity are important goals.
Pledge Seven: To work with partners across London to identify the opportunities of 2012 and help deliver a lasting health legacy.
To register your support for the manifesto pleadges, please email London Health Forum organiser Richard Berry on rberry@london-health.org.
Click here to download a pdf of the manifesto (222kb)
