News
Monday, January 04, 2010
David Cameron sent the following message to party supporters this morning before launching the party’s commitments on the NHS in a major speech today.
I hope you've come back from the Christmas period refreshed for the year ahead.
The start of a new year, not least a new decade, always comes with a sense of hope for the future. But in 2010, we can do more than just hope.
The general election is now less than 150 days away, and it really can't come soon enough. That's why we've kick-started our campaign for the election today with a nationwide campaign on healthcare.
It was over three years ago when I spelled out my priorities in three letters - NHS. Since then, we've fought hard to protect the values the NHS stands for, and campaigned to defend it from Labour's cuts and reorganisations.
Most of us use the NHS at some point - and even when we're fit and healthy it's a great reassurance to know it's there. So because healthcare affects everyone, I want everyone to join in the debate on it.
If you go to the Draft Manifesto page on our website you can have a look at the policies we're proposing on healthcare, and then ask me a question about them. Everyone will be able to vote on their favourite questions over the next few days, and then on Friday I'll answer the ones that you care about the most.
For the NHS, and for our country, let's make 2010 the year for change."
You can also access the draft Manifesto on the NHS by clicking here.
See video, below, and click on ‘more’, below, for more information.
David Cameron said:
“Today the Conservatives are the party of the NHS. We are the only party committed to protecting NHS spending, but we're not just going to pump money in and hope for the best. We're going to change the way the NHS works because it could be so much better.
Under Labour, the NHS has turned into a giant machine, controlled from above, responding to politicians, bureaucrats and managers. If we win this year's election, we are going to give the NHS back to who it belongs - the people. To the doctors, nurses and professionals who work in it, to the patients who get their care from it, to the families who depend on it. Every policy we put forward, every reform we implement, every change we make will have at its heart this simple idea - we need to give the NHS back to the people.”
Maternity networks
Maternity services have been at the sharp end of Labour's cuts, with good maternity units closed just for being too small. The number of health visitors - which provide such important support to young families - has also been cut. There is poor co-ordination between local maternity services, too many mothers are denied a real choice about where to give birth, and there is a lack of good ante and post-natal care. We can't go on like this.
A Conservative Government will reform maternity services so that mothers and mothers-to-be are put right at the heart of the service. We will stop Labour's forced closure of maternity units, increase the number of health visitors and - by making money follow the patient - give every mother the choice and support they need. And we'll go further. By introducing new 'maternity networks', we will offer mothers access to the kind of childbirth and other services they want. By putting the best local maternity provider in charge of co-ordinating local maternity care we will ensure the highest standards of safety are applied while also giving mothers access to a variety of community-led services.
Health premium
Under Labour, health inequalities have widened. Public health problems, like obesity and alcohol abuse are getting worse. We can't go on like this. A Conservative government will take action nationally to improve our public health, and we will also create powerful incentives for positive action to take place locally. Our new 'health premium' will ensure that the areas that are suffering the worst health outcomes - more often than not the poorest communities - will benefit most from our public health reforms. This is progressive Conservatism in action.
Brown is 'Mr 17%'
Whoever wins the election, public spending will have to be cut. Labour's spending plans announced in the PBR mean a 17 per cent cut in real total spending on departments outside the 'protected' areas. This means 17 per cent cuts in spending on other services like defence and universities. The only reason Labour can say spending will continue to rise is when you exclude investment spending, but include spending on what Tony Blair called 'the costs of social failure': unemployment and debt interest costs. Labour have cancelled the spending review so they don't have to admit the truth, but Gordon Brown should come clean about the cuts he is planning.
« back