Posted on: 8 November 2019
On 6 November we officially entered the pre-election period or 'purdah', as it is also known. NHS England, NHS Providers and the Cabinet Office have issued pre-election guidance for all NHS organisations in the run-up to the General Election on 12 December 2019, which is in effect until Friday 13 December 2019 or the date at which a new government is formed.
- Cabinet Office: Updated guidance for civil servants for elections available here.
- NHS Providers: Pre-election period considerations for NHS trusts, highlighting the practical implications around provider activities.
- NHS England: download NHS England's pre-election guidance
What is the pre-election period?
During the pre-election period, also referred to as ‘purdah’, specific restrictions are placed on the use of public resources and the communication activities of public bodies, civil servants and local government officials. The pre-election period is designed to avoid the actions of public bodies detracting from or influencing election campaigns. The pre-election period has implications for all NHS organisations (although it is worth remembering that the NHS should remain politically impartial at all times).
Key considerations
You should ensure your organisation and staff behave impartially towards all candidates and political parties, and do not influence the election outcomes, whether inadvertently or intentionally.
As always during a pre-election period, there should be:
- no new decisions or announcements of policy or strategy
- no decisions on large and/or contentious procurement contracts
- no participation by official NHS representatives in debates and events that may be politically controversial, whether at national or local level.
These restrictions apply in all cases other than where postponement would be detrimental to the effective running of the local NHS, or wasteful of public money.
Social media and web
Nothing contentious should be posted on your website or social media accounts. Updates/posts, including blogs, should only convey essential factual information.