Labour has promised it will invite private “entrepreneurs” into the NHS to develop at-home health tests and open more of the UK up to clinical trials. Wes Streeting previously said he wants to transform the way NHS goods and suppliers are chosen, with a greater use of private providers to clear the huge backlog of non-emergency treatment at the top of his to-do list. New health technology would be tried at a single NHS trust before potentially being rolled out across the country, while the health service would collaborate more closely with the life sciences sector.
A source close to Mr Streeting told i Labour will encourage the spread of new technologies so private sector “innovators” have a clearer route to get their “cutting edge” products into the NHS. He has already pledged to “hold the door wide open” to entrepreneurs so that his party can “put our foot on the accelerator” when it comes to NHS reform. The promise has already proved controversial within his own party.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner denied in the ITV Election Debate on 13 June that Mr Streeting had used the term – SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused Ms Rayner of misleading the public. Mr Streeting also wants to do away with bureaucratic hurdles – such as having to trial new health technology at a single trust before a wider rollout – which would allow companies to deliver their innovations into the NHS much faster. It would be a redirection from a Labour Party that ha.
