The NHS is the Labour Party’s greatest achievement. We created it, we saved it, we value it and we will always support it. Between 1997 and 2010, Labour’s investment and reforms delivered real improvements for patients after 18 years of Tory neglect and underinvestment. The Tories and Liberal Democrats have turned the clock back – funding that doesn’t keep pace with demand and an unnecessary top down reorganisation that cost £billions means we once again have growing waiting times.
A Labour Government after 2015 will:
[list type=”check”]- Tackle NHS waiting times and put patients first.The Tories have created a crisis in A&E, and thousands of people can’t get a GP appointment when they need one. We will guarantee that you will be able to see a GP within 48 hours, which will help to tackle A&E waiting times.
- Train and hire 20,000 more nurses, 5000 more family doctors, 5000 more midwives and 5000 more home-care workers.
- Provide fairer access to mental health services.We will make mental health the priority it deserves to be. We will ensure that people have access to the treatment and services they need. We will make sure all professional NHS staff receive mental health training.
- Create a 21st Century NHS for complex needs. We will make patient services fit for the future by bringing together physical health, mental health and social care into a single system of whole-person care. A single service built around patients. [/list]