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Health
In Labour's six pledges I am delighted to see a continued strong commitment to giving more support to patients and health services. No-one will have to wait more than 18 weeks for an operation. Patients will have choice over where and when to have hospital treatment - in an NHS free at the point of need.
On the doorstep I have met local people who have benefited from the improvements already made, especially shorter waiting times, and are receiving excellent health care and support.
We will cut waiting times further and extend choice in the NHS to help create a health service in the Cambridge area that is available to all and personal to each. Anne Campbell
The Facts
| Investment | 3558 more nurses in this area since 1997. 913 more doctors in this area since 1997. New facilities and resources at Addenbrooke's, including the upgrading of ward and accident and emergency facilities, as well new clinics. Further investment is taking place in Elective Care, Genetics and the Diabetes Centre. |
| Commitment | The founding principles of the NHS are at the centre of Labour's health policy - equal access, free at the point of need. Waiting lists are down by over 300,000 from March 1997. |
| Access | All Cambridge people can see a GP within 48 hours. Every patient waits less than 12 hours in A&E. Every patient gets an appointment at Addenbrooke's within 14 days after an urgent cancer referral. |
| Healthy Lifestyles | Nearly 2 million children are receiving free fruit every school day. The nutritional standards of schools meals are being improved. |
The work goes on: A Labour Government will:
Labour will continue to invest and reform the NHS with resources rising from £63.7 billion in 2003/4 to £92.1 billion in 2007/8.
We will cut maximum waiting times from 18 months in 1997 to 18 weeks at the end of 2008 with no hidden waits.
We will offer patients the opportunity to go to any hospital they want where their operation can be performed free for the patient with NHS quality.
We are committed to improving school meals, and £220million in new funding grants will go directly to schools and LEAs to ensure that they can transform school meals.
The Myths
The Lib Dems recently said in the press that Addenbrooke's has a shortfall of £30m - it seems they don't understand Addenbrooke's funding. This figure refers to the financial situation at the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA). The hospital is now an NHS Foundation Trust and as such their finances are not managed by the SHA.
The Alternatives
The Tories have pledged to cut at least £1 billion from the NHS to subsidise those who have private health care.Waiting lists would rise again, and people would be encouraged to pay to get the basic operations they need quickly.
Leading Lib Dems are advocating scrapping the NHS. The Orange Book advocates breaking up the NHS and moving to a system of social insurance.