Politicians across the UK have been launching their election manifestos this week ahead of the general election on May 6th. Unsurprisingly, the NHS has come to the forefront of debate so Freedom Healthnet is taking a look at each of the main party’s visions for the health care of the future and the likely impact of this on private medical insurance.


The Labour Party

Primary care trusts are one of the main priorities for the Labour Party’s plans for the NHS. They are already established in much of England, but Gordon Brown wants every hospital to become one by 2015. This has been extended to previous targets and would mean a further 93 hospitals would have more control over how they are run. Critics have said this is a risky move though and could cause problems for the running of the hospital while the management changes hands. If a hospital’s services are not running to the highest quality they can be during a period of time, it could mean that people are tempted to get a quote for private health insurance to ensure that they will always have access to the highest quality of care possible should they become ill.


Gordon Brown has also set out his commitment to greater access to out of hours GP care. People can currently see a doctor at evenings and weekends in at least one health centre in every area of England, or at least will be able to at a shortly opening clinic. Out of hours GP care has been problematic for the NHS since it was reformed in 2004 and most doctors opted out of working the longer hours in favour of a pay cut. Tragic cases where people have suffered as a result have since been publicised and could have been a reason for people to take out a private medical insurance policy and gain affordable access to private sector GPs.