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At the Conservative Party Conference, PM Rishi Sunak pledged to raise the legal age every year to buy from those who were born in 2009. The proposed changes also encompass heated tobacco products, recognized as smoke-free alternatives that heat, not burn, tobacco to produce a distinct nicotine-containing aerosol compared to traditional cigarette smoke. The following move in a bid to "try and stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place", and bring in restrictions to stop young people from vaping. PM Rishi Sunak spoke at the conference, "Last week I promised to create the first smoke-free generation and I am wasting no time to deliver on that promise.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has on Wednesday laid out his vision for reforming the National Health Service, stating that the NHS is "broken but not beaten" after years of Conservative governance. In his address to the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Streeting highlighted the current challenges facing the NHS, including record-high waiting lists, ambulance delays, and difficulties in accessing GP appointments. Stressing that "reform or die" is the choice facing the NHS, he rejected the idea of simply increasing funding without systemic changes. Streeting noted some initial successes since Labour took office, including employing 1,000 more GPs and negotiating an end to junior doctors' strikes. He revealed that crack teams of top clinicians will be deployed to hospitals across the country to roll out reforms: to treat more patients and cut waiting lists.

The Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has proposed a new £30 million fund to speed up the adoption of innovative medical technology in the NHS. He confirmed the plan today at the Conservative Party Conference 2023 in Manchester. Mr Barclay said that virtual wards will help healthcare professionals embrace new technology to improve patient care. He said: "It is vital that clinicians have access to the latest technology to save staff time, deliver high-quality care and help cut waiting lists - one of the government's top five priorities. "This investment will see the latest tech innovations rolled out across the NHS. From virtual ward beds to wearable medical devices, patients will be better supported, and we will ease pressures on hospitals this winter. "We're preparing for this winter earlier than ever before including delivering thousands more hospital beds and hundreds of new ambulances."