The 2018 party conference season took place following a time of intense debate within the Conservative Party over the direction of the Brexit negotiations and a challenging summer for the Labour Party. Both main parties were keen to put internal divisions behind them, uniting under the banner of "opportunity" at the Conservative Party conference and "Rebuilding Britain, for the many, not the few" at the Labour Party Conference.

NHS Providers hosted a series of roundtables, focused on the NHS long-term plan at the Conservative Party conference, the review of clinical targets within the plan at the Labour conference, and how the plan could support child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) at the Liberal Democrat conference.

As member trusts will be aware, NHS Providers is an apolitical organisation.  We have a presence at each of the main party conferences to ensure we maintain and develop relationships with key influencers and make the most of the opportunity to promote our messages on behalf of the membership. This briefing sets out the key announcements made by the parties at the 2018 autumn party conferences and the main discussion points from our roundtables and other events.