Change on the horizon

Welcome to this August issue of the Journal of Prescribing Practice.

A lot has happened since I last wrote to you. We have had a general election with major party manifestos designed to help us choose who to vote for based on values and promises. The result of the 4 July vote means that we now have a new government for the first time in 14 years, with all the attendant changes that brings. New leadership, new priorities, new ministers in the cabinet and a new direction for the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer and his Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, have made tackling waiting lists a key priority and have appointed Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham to head up an investigation. Many of you will remember the previous Darzi Review of Health and Care in 2018 in which he called for radical simplification to make the NHS fit for the 2020s and the setting of a 10-point investment and reform plan. This time, he has been asked to investigate the rising backlog in hospital care with waiting list figures hitting 7.6 million (BBC, 2024a). The review will centre on NHS performance in England and will be used to inform the health secretary's 10-year plan for the NHS.