Letter to the Stroud News & Journal 17/01/10 - NHS

The Editor

Stroud News and Journal

17 January 2010

Madam

Martin Whiteside (letters 13 January) is quite right to highlight the opportunity David Cameron recently took in Stroud to unveil Conservative Party plans for the NHS.

The fundamental point made by David Cameron is that the NHS will be the number one priority for the next Conservative Government. To this end, the budget would be protected and, furthermore, public health would be put at the top of the agenda.

The draft manifesto for health – published on the day of visit - made a number of pledges including creating maternity networks so that mothers have genuine choice for their baby’s birth, setting NHS providers free to innovate by ensuring they become autonomous Foundation Trusts and giving GPs the power to hold patients budgets and commission care on their behalf.

Additionally, it states that Conservatives will tackle health inequalities by targeting extra money to the poorest areas and ring fencing funds for public health, making prevention of illness a priority.

The NHS accounts for a massive amount of public expenditure and that must continue. So, too, should the ethos of the NHS. Our vision for the NHS protects its values, ensures proper funding, and gives doctors and nurses the freedom to provide the best services, all free at the point of use and available to everybody.

The Green Party, alas, would be unable to properly support the NHS because it cannot reconcile its own dislike of economic growth with the expenditure demands of public services.

Yours faithfully

Neil Carmichael

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Stroud