The RCP has issued a briefing to MPs ahead of the King's Speech.
This King’s Speech provides a vital opportunity for government to deliver on its commitments made in the 10 Year Health Plan and publish a credible 10 Year Workforce Plan that invests in the medical workforce and expands the number of medical specialty training places. The RCP is urging government to use this parliamentary session to prioritise action to bolster our NHS workforce and to close the gap in healthy life expectancy by focussing on prevention and tackling the wider determinants of health.
The RCP is calling on government to:
- Publish a credible, fully funded 10 Year Workforce Plan (and accompanying implementation plan) that invests in the medical workforce and expands specialty training places.
- Protect and strengthen clinical leadership in the NHS reform legislation.
- Deliver medical regulatory reform, including retaining the health grounds for fitness to practise procedures and implementing the Leng Review recommendations on the title of physician assistants.
- Deliver on commitments to tackle the social determinants of health to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy.
- Introduce a new Clean Air Act with stronger targets on air pollution and commit to a public health campaign on clean air.
- Expand access to obesity services and treatment while delivering stronger prevention measures such as strengthening measures to protect against the aggressive marketing and advertising of unhealthy foods, while increasing the availability and affordability of healthy foods from an early age.
- Strengthen the digital foundations of the NHS to support the safe use of AI, including better interoperability between systems, better data and standardising the electronic patient record so providers have a specification of NHS requirements that they must meet.
For more information, contact policy@rcp.ac.uk.