How can the government meet its commitments on health and care?

The Conservative manifesto committed to providing world-class healthcare, with 40 new hospitals, 50,000 more nurses, 6,000 more doctors, an extra 50 million general practice appointments a year, and a cross-party consensus on social care. Since then, though, services have been disrupted and public finances severely stretched by the coronavirus pandemic. How realistic are the government’s health and care manifesto pledges in light of coronavirus? What should the government prioritise in the upcoming spending review? Which changes made during the crisis – in working practices, funding and the use of technology – could be extended beyond the pandemic? Panellists: Dean Russell MP, Member of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing Nicholas Timmins, Senior Fellow, Policy at The King's Fund Chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Royal College of Nursing.