This week was the 75th anniversary of the creation of the National Health Service, one of Labour’s proudest achievements in government.
The NHS was designed by Labour so that health care would be available to everyone, regardless of their income, free at the point of delivery. It is the gift to everyone in our country of the peace of mind that if they or a member of their family falls ill, they will not have to worry about how they would pay for the treatment needed.
We are celebrating 75 years of this remarkable institution and the dedication and hard work of the staff who sustain it. But it is impossible to do so this year without acknowledging just how much strain our NHS is under after thirteen years of Conservative government. Waiting lists are reaching record highs, staff morale is low, hospitals are lacking in the facilities and equipment they need and there simply aren’t enough of the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals required to meet the needs of our population.
It didn’t have to be this way. When Labour was last in government from 1997 to 2010 waiting lists dropped hugely and new targets were introduced to tackle waiting times for operations and clinical treatment, for waits in Accident and Emergency and for cancer treatment.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in government cut bursaries for training nurses and other health professionals, failed to invest in training the new doctors that we need to work in our hospitals and GP practices and slashed investment in new buildings and equipment.
Last week Labour achieved a huge gain in opposition when we forced the Conservatives to adopt Labour’s policies on beginning to train more doctors, nurses and other NHS staff.
But their last-minute conversion to Labour’s policies has come thirteen years too late. We need more nurses on our hospital wards, in our GP surgeries and out in our communities now, not many years down the line after they have finished their training. The new doctors announced in the NHS workforce plan won’t start their training until after the next General Election.
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Despite the intense pressures they are currently experiencing, I am grateful to NHS staff in my constituency who continue to do their very best to meet the needs of their patients. This week, I will formally open two NHS buildings in my constituency – the Tessa Jowell Health Centre, named for my much-loved predecessor who was a fierce champion for our NHS; and the Willowfield Building at King’s College Hospital which will provide new facilities for outpatients. Our NHS is continuing to deliver.
But our NHS needs a Labour government. Labour is the party that created the NHS, the party that transformed it from 1997-2010, and the only party that can be trusted to invest in its future..
