| National Health Action Party | |
| Abbreviation: | NHA |
| Leader1 Title: | Co-leaders |
| Leader1 Name: | Alastair Fischer and Veronika Wagner |
| Foundation: | 14 May 2012 |
| Membership Year: | 2016 |
| Headquarters: | Kidderminster[1] |
| Website: | http://www.nhaparty.org |
| Country: | England |
| Colours: | Blue |
| Seats1 Title: | House of Commons English & Welsh seats |
| Seats1: | |
| Seats2 Title: | House of Lords |
| Seats2: | |
| Seats3 Title: | European Parliament English & Welsh seats |
| Seats3: | |
| Seats4 Title: | London Assembly |
| Seats4: | |
| Seats5 Title: | Welsh Assembly |
| Seats5: | --> |
| Seats6 Title: | Local government (England & Wales) |
| Seats6: | |
| Seats7 Title: | Police and Crime Commissioners |
| Seats7: | --> |
| Colorcode: |
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The National Health Action Party (NHA) is a political party in the United Kingdom.
The party grew out of the movement opposing the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. It campaigns for renationalisation of the privatised parts of the English National Health Service, reductions in outsourcing, and improvements to NHS funding, service provision and staffing.[2] [3] Despite focusing on health, the party has a range of policies in areas such as the economy, housing and education. These include opposition to austerity and a call for political reform.[4]
The passage of the Health and Social Care Act in March 2012 prompted the party's co-founder Clive Peedell, a cancer specialist doctor, to co-write an open letter to The Independent alongside esteemed medical signatories.[5] The letter was highly critical of the Liberal Democrats for their role in the passage of the Act and stated that the signatories would "form a coalition of healthcare professionals to take on coalition MPs at the next General Election, on the non-party, independent ticket of defending the NHS and acting in the wider public interest". Two months later, on 14 May 2012, Peedell co-founded the NHA Party with retired doctor Richard Taylor, who had twice been elected as MP for Wyre Forest on an 'independent health' component to his local hospital party name.[6] The party was launched in Westminster in November 2012.[7]
The party first stood in the 2013 Eastleigh by-election, with candidate Dr Iain Maclennan taking 392 votes.[8] The party went on to stand in the 2014 European Parliament elections and the 2015 General Election, taking over 20,000 votes in each. This placed the party seventh in the popular vote in England in the latter.[9] The party's best result to date was the 7,211 votes taken by Dr Richard Taylor in Wyre Forest in 2015 (he had been the MP from 2001 to 2010 under the label Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern).[10]
Party co-founder Dr Clive Peedell resigned the leadership in July 2016, and Dr Paul Hobday was appointed as interim leader.[11] Surgical registrar Dr Alex Ashman was elected as the new permanent party leader in December 2016[12] and promised to continue the work begun by Drs Peedell and Taylor.[13] Dr Ashman resigned as leader in 2019 and was replaced by co-leaders Alastair Fischer and Veronika Wagner.
Supporters have included authors Mark Haddon[14] and Philip Pullman,[15] satirist Armando Iannucci,[16] science writer Marcus Chown[17] and comedian Rufus Hound. Hound stood as an NHA Party candidate in the London constituency for the 2014 European elections.[18]
The party has a range of policies on healthcare, political reform, the economy, immigration, housing, education and environmental sustainability.[4] [19] [20]
| Year | Candidates | Total votes | Average votes per candidate | % of total vote | Average % vote per candidate | Saved Deposits | Number of MPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 20,210 | 1,684 | 0.1 | 3.26 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017[21] | 5 | 16,119 | 3,224 | 0.1 | 5.64 | 2 | 0 |
The party stood 12 candidates in the 2015 general election.[22] Targeted seats included those of leading proponents of the Health and Social Care Bill such as David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt. The candidates were:[23]
| Candidate | Constituency | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Ash | Sutton and Cheam | 345 | 0.7% | |
| Roseanne Edwards | Banbury | 729 | 1.3% | |
| Rik Evans | Truro and Falmouth | 526 | 1.0% | |
| Rebecca Fox | Camberwell and Peckham | 466 | 0.9% | |
| Dr. Bob Gill | Old Bexley and Sidcup | 1,216 | 2.6% | |
| Dr. Paul Hobday | Maidstone and The Weald | 583 | 1.2% | |
| Karen Howell | Stafford | 1,701 | 3.5% | |
| Dr. Louise Irvine | South West Surrey | 4,851 | 8.5% | |
| Dr. Clive Peedell | Witney | 616 | 1.1% | |
| Dr. Helen Salisbury | Oxford West and Abingdon | 723 | 1.3% | |
| Dr. Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | 7,211 | 14.6% | |
| Dr. Carl Walker | East Worthing and Shoreham | 1,243 | 2.5% |
The party stood five candidates at the 2017 general election.[24] Food blogger and activist Jack Monroe was announced as the NHA Party candidate for Southend West,[25] but withdrew due to ill health and receiving death threats.[26] The candidates standing were:
| Candidate | Constituency | Votes | % | Change from 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Louise Irvine | South West Surrey | 12,093 | 20.0% | 11.5% |
| Dr Carl Walker | East Worthing and Shoreham | 575 | 1.1% | 1.4% |
| Mark Jarnell | South Ribble | 341 | 0.6% | n/a |
| Dr John Dean | Central Devon | 871 | 1.5% | n/a |
| Neal Stote | Redditch | 2,239 | 5% | n/a |
| Year | Candidates | Total votes | Average votes per candidate | Average % vote per candidate | Number of Councillors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1,177 | 168 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 638 | 160 | 3.1 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 | ||
| 1 | 228 | 228 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 | ||
| 1 | 344 | 344 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 219 |
| Constituency | Date | Candidate | Number of votes | % of votes | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2013 | Iain Maclennan | 392 | 0.9 | 6th | ||
| 20 October 2016 | Helen Salisbury | 433 | 1.1 | 6th |