When the new Prime Minister takes office on 5 September, they will be immediately faced with a difficult autumn and winter for the health and care sector. NHS waits are now at historic levels across both emergency and elective care, and there has been a rapid decline in public satisfaction with general practice. In social care, people are struggling to be assessed for their needs, and the sector faces a recruitment and retention crisis.

Whilst the leadership will understandably be focused on the immediate remedies, there is also a need to address the underlying causes. This manifesto – the first in a new series from Policy Exchanged to be published in the coming fortnight – sets out sixteen policy ideas: eight focused upon the current pressures concerning access to services; and eight which look to put the NHS on a sustainable longer-term footing.

Recommendations include:

• New targets to ensure patients receive accelerated access to A&E, primary care and elective treatment;
• A scaling up of virtual wards this autumn and winter in order to free up hospital beds and reduce bottlenecks in emergency departments;
• The prioritisation of the treatment of children who have been waiting for longer than a year on the waiting list for planned care;
• Reform to pensions rules which are encouraging doctors to reduce sessions or seek early retirement, as well as the launch of a re-entry scheme for retired GPs and nurses; and
• Introduction of a ‘My Year in Care’ Scheme, modelled on the Duke of Edinburgh Award and National Service.