The policy mandate

Before coming into government, the Labour Party’s manifesto pledged to “deliver a ‘prevention first’ revolution”, shifting from treatment to prevention, from hospital to community, and from analogue to digital.  Following the 2024 General Election, this pledge has been reflected in a consistent focus across subsequent policy announcements - particularly the move towards more neighbourhood-based health and care services.

Other recent national policy and reform programmes reinforce the importance of prevention, including:

Crucially, future devolution plans and local government reform will provide more autonomy for councils to shape integrated, preventative models of care - but only if prevention is embedded as a strategic priority from the outset.