Joint statement from Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on the Conservative leadership contest

22 Jul 2022

The College is one of several medical royal colleges and Faculties representing the full range of medical specialties across primary, public health and hospital care who have signed a joint statement urging the next Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative and Unionist party to make health and care a priority.

Medical leaders from Royal Colleges and Faculties have published a joint statement calling on the next prime minister to commit to proper workforce planning, a greater focus on preventing illness and tackling inequalities and fixing the breakdown between NHS and social care.

The statement urges the next Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative and Unionist party to:

1. Commit to planning and providing a health and care workforce that meets the needs of the population, particularly by increasing medical school places and clinical training places.
2. Commit to reducing health inequality by tackling the causes of ill health so that in the long run we reduce pressure on the NHS by reducing preventable illness.
3. Commit to fixing social care so that we end the cycle of working age adults and old age adults being admitted to hospital, or delayed in leaving hospital, because of insufficient social care packages to help them live independently.