The future of the NHS will be among the defining issues of this year’s general election campaign.
Join us on 11 March in London at our free Big Health Debate event, supported by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), where the three main political parties will share their vision for the future of the UK’s health service before voters go to the polls.
Confirmed on the panel are Norman Lamb MP, minister of state for care and support, Dr Daniel Poulter MP, parliamentary under secretary of state for health, and Liz Kendall MP, shadow minister for care and older people.
Our audience will include representatives from government, industry and thinktanks, as well as academics, policy experts, healthcare staff and patients.
The event, hosted by Guardian Live, will be chaired by the Guardian’s health correspondent Denis Campbell. Each speaker will give a short introduction to their party’s policies and positions, followed by a Q&A including questions from the audience.
Key themes for debate will include:
- What will the health service of the future look like? Representatives from the three main political parties share their party’s vision of the NHS in 2020.
- How should the NHS be funded? If the NHS has finite resources, how should they be spent? Is it more cost effective to outsource services?
- How can we put patients at the heart of the NHS? Does giving patients responsibility for their own health encourage them to live healthier lifestyles?
- How can different parts of the health and social care services integrate to meet patient needs?
- How can we improve access to innovative, new drugs to improve patient care?
- Patient data: who should have access, and why?
Election 2015: The Guardian Big Health Debate
The future of the NHS: delivering modern services and treatments to patients
Event details:
Date: Wednesday 11 March 2015
Venue: Central Hall Westminster
6.45pm Arrival and registration
7.15pm Welcome from Guardian
7.20pm Short speech from each party representative followed by structured Q&A
7.35pm Crowd sourced questions
8.15pm Q&A session with the audience
9pm Close of event for Guardian Live audience
9pm Networking and drinks for Guardian Healthcare Network members – welcome from Stephen Whitehead, chief executive, ABPI
9.45pm End of drinks reception
For any enquiries please contact public.debates@theguardian.com
Tickets that include the networking and drinks reception have now sold out.
You can still attend the debate though by registering for a free ticket with Guardian Live
