Harnessing private and not-for-profit health provision and tax relief for private medical insurance (PMI) feature among the key proposals of Reform UK’s 2024 election manifesto.
The 28-page manifesto, called Our Contract with You, was launched today by party leader Nigel Farage at Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.
Farage said: “This is step one. Our real ambition is the 2029 general election.”
On the NHS he said: “All we want is an NHS free at point of delivery that actually works.”
Among its plans for its first 100 days in power, if elected, the party committed to:
- Tax relief of 20% on all private healthcare and insurance to improve care for all by relieving pressure on the NHS
- All frontline NHS and social care staff to pay zero basic rate tax for three years so as to help retain existing staff and attract many who have left to return
- Ending training caps for all UK medical students
- Writing off student fees pro rata per year over 10 years of NHS service for all doctors, nurses and medical staff
Reforms says the PMI tax relief “will improve care for all by relieving pressure on the NHS.
“Those who rely on the NHS will enjoy faster, better care. Independent healthcare capacity will grow rapidly, providing competition and reducing costs.”
And after the first 100 days, the party committed to:
- Putting patients in charge with a new NHS voucher scheme which would see patients receive a voucher for private treatment if they cannot see a GP within three days. For a consultant it would be three weeks. For an operation, nine weeks. Though the party maintained services will always be free at the point of use
- Improving efficiency by cutting waste and “unnecessary managers”
- Operating theatres must be open on weekends
- Rotas must be planned further in advance, while nailing down better prices using economies of scale
- Reviewing all NHS private finance contracts for significant savings potential and charging those who fail to attend medical appointments without notice
- Abolishing the NHS Race and Health Observatory
- Cutting A&E waiting times with a campaign of ‘Pharmacy First, GP Second, A&E Last’ and offering tax incentives for new pharmacies and those who employ more staff to assist in relieving pressure on A&E
- Launching a public inquiry on excess deaths and vaccine harms
Reform estimated that its pledges on the NHS would cost £17bn per year.
