Earlier this week, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, spoke at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to outline how we will take the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) forward in supporting the Labour Government’s focus on driving economic growth.
What do the Secretary of State for Health’s priorities tell us about the new UK Government’s plans for health and social care?

Two shifts in strategic thinking
On Monday, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, spoke about how growth would be the Labour Government’s national mission. Then on Tuesday Wes Streeting described two major ways in which he would lead the DHSC and NHS to support this ambition.
First, the DHSC would move from being a public service department to also being an economic growth department. The Secretary of State reasoned that the health of the nation and the economy are closely linked, and that he wanted to work with the Treasury to drive growth and improve the lives of people in the UK.
Second, he recognised the need to address urgent issues like growing waiting lists and doctors’ strikes. But he also emphasised the need to make the right decisions to tackle the long-term challenges and opportunities to enable the NHS to thrive in the 21st century.
There are three areas the Health and Social Care Secretary wants to address to support the Government’s economic mission:
- Focusing on public health and prevention to help people live well and for longer. This will in turn support people back into work and allow them to continue contributing to the economy.
- Working closely with the life sciences and medical technology ecosystem to help grow these industries at home and abroad.
- Looking at the workforce of the NHS and social care across the country and support these by providing training and job opportunities to local people.
What does this mean for people living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions?
We welcome the new Government’s comments recognising the health of the economy depends on the health of its people. Now that the Labour party has moved from opposition to leading the Government, we’re also pleased to see their continued push for a longer-term plan to improve the health and care system.
The three priority areas set out by West Streeting are certainly relevant to our community. In our general election manifesto, we called for the new administration to take action to help maintain the UK’s status as a centre of research excellence and improve access to care by supporting the NHS and its workforce.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s focus on supporting people to live well for longer and to support people with health conditions into the workplace is welcome. But we’ve been clear that the Government also needs to work on improving the social security system and removing barriers to employment for our community, so we have the necessary support and adjustments going into work.
We will be watching closely to see the details of how the Government intends to implement its priority areas and whether this new administration is meeting the needs of people with muscle wasting and weakening conditions.
Find out more about our work and where to get support:
- See our full general election 2024 manifesto to find out what else we’re calling on the new Government to deliver for people with muscle wasting and weakening conditions.
- Read more on our general election hub page to find out how you can participate and engage with your local Member of Parliament.
- Find out more about our campaign work to improve the quality of life for people affected by muscle wasting and weakening conditions, to ensure access to the best possible holistic support.
- Get in touch with us at campaigns@musculardystrophyuk.org if you have any questions or would like to get involved.
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