The Parliamentary Group for Integrated Healthcare (PGIH) is an All-Party Group based at Westminster which provides a focus for all activities relating to integrated healthcare in Parliament, stimulates well-informed debate and contributes to the development of knowledge and policies on the subject.
The PGIH has evolved since its formation in 1986 and is a well-established Parliamentary Group which looks at patient choice and provision of treatments within the NHS. It holds meetings on a wide variety of subjects and has been one of the best supported Groups in past Parliaments, with some open meetings attracting over 100 people.
Its aim is to work towards an integrated health service, which takes the best from the orthodox and the complementary, to ensure best quality care for patients. In doing this, it believes that cost savings and improved patient outcomes could bring about a more efficient and responsive NHS. In recent years it has also campaigned against restrictive EU legislation such as the EU Food Supplements Directive and for better regulation of practitioners to maintain public safety.
The open meetings it holds in Parliament discuss a wide variety of subjects. These allow individuals and organisations from outside of Parliament to meet in an open forum and exchange views. In recent years it has held many very successful meetings, with a variety of speakers. These meetings often act as a starting point for further action on a particular subject.
As the Group is an independent All-Party Group it does not have any vested interests. It has a strong latent support from MPs and Peers which it mobilises when and where appropriate, and has managed to attract a considerable number of signatures to its EDMs. The Group is in a unique position of being able to raise issues in Parliament and help to take issues forward and facilitate progress on all issues relating to integrated healthcare. It is also able to provide independent information to MPs and Peers on current issues.
View a list of past and future meetings of the PGIH
