Publish date: 21 March 2022
Local council elections are due on 6 May which means from next week (28 March) we enter what is known as ‘Pre-Election Period.’
It’s important during this period that the NHS must act and be seen to act with political impartiality and our resources should not be used for party political purposes. Democratic debate during the election period between candidates and parties should also not be overshadowed by public controversy originating from NHS bodies themselves.
The Pre-Election Period is not designed to prevent you all going about your daily business but, as a public body, we are prevented from making major announcements about the trust that could be construed as political.
We should not, however, be prevented from going about our business as usual and detailed guidance can be found in a guide produced by NHS Confederation.