The final push
So there we have it. Weeks of fervent speeches, heated debates and endless press releases do not appear to have delivered a swing in favour of either of the main parties. The polls remain where they were at the start of the campaign - which is not far from where they were at the start of the year. With no clear winner on the horizon, which party (or parties) will oversee the NHS over the next five-year period (or less...) remains uncertain.
State of the Polls - Sky News, Poll tracker, 5 May 2015
Neither the Conservatives nor Labour have - it would seem - done enough to attract significant levels of support outside their core vote and have been reluctant to leave their respective comfort zones. Labour has consolidated its lead on the NHS but there have been few points at which the debate on health has really come to life. The Conservatives will hope to have done enough for the NHS not to be the issue top of voters’ minds as they enter the voting booth tomorrow.
Elections are about dividing lines and the parties have not been shy in seeking to create them on health. Yet for all the rhetoric about “secret” plans to privatise the health service and “cover ups” over scandals, there is a good deal which the parties agree on.
The need for more funding, the desirability of integration, as well as the importance of tackling cancer, mental health and dementia are all areas where there is a good deal of consensus. These are issues which will no doubt be returned to at a quieter time. For now, each party will focus on a frenetic last push. There may or may not be 24(ish) hours to save the NHS but, for some politicians, it may seem as though there is only that amount of time to save their careers.
