The NHS Is 60

One of the main reasons I wanted to be an MP was to fight for the NHS in this area.

I believe it is one of our country's greatest achievements. A service that is available to all based on need - not ability to pay.  

This year marks its sixtieth anniversary – something we can all celebrate.

From being on its knees in the mid 90s the NHS is now in better shape with more staff and new hospitals. 

But I think people in Birmingham want to know what we have planned for the future.  Sixty years since we founded it, Labour is improving the NHS.

Our mission is to make the NHS a more personal health service, fitted to the needs of families and focused on preventing ill health as well as curing it.

Did you know?....

Since 1997 there are 631 more nurses and 201 more doctors in training in the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust and the NHS is now performing more than one million extra operations a year.  

And virtually no-one now waits more than 6 months for their operation, compared with waits of up to 2 years under the Tories.

I know that the above is a lot of statistics but remember behind every statistic is a life changed by having a better NHS for patients.

Contrast this with the Tory years – when the NHS was nearly destroyed.

Looking to the future

A lot of change has occurred in the NHS over the last sixty years.   And this means that there are new challenges.

New drugs, medical technologies and better clinical practices provide us with huge opportunities, whilst diseases like obesity and diabetes as well as an ageing population in Hall Green present big challenges.

We need an NHS which is fit for modern life. We as patients should be given greater control, greater choice and a strong voice in our local services in Birmingham.  It's no good having a great GP if you can't go there after work or maybe at the weekend.

By 2009 the majority of GP surgeries will be open for at least one evening or weekend session every week, and we're continuing to build local health centres and walk-in clinics to fit around your busy life.  And it's worth remembering that the Tories oppose these measures.

So sixty years on, we still have free access to high-quality healthcare and people feel safe in the knowledge that if they or their family need the NHS, it is there for them. 

We should also take time to say thank you to the wonderful staff who look after us when we need care and attention.

As your MP I can give you this guarantee.  I will always fight to improve the NHS in Birmingham and work to ensure that it is fit for modern life.  

Tory health policies

The Tories would scrap longer GP opening hours, and oppose Labour’s plans for new health centres

The Tories would scrap national waiting time guarantees and let hospital waiting lists rise

The Tories would allow local hospitals to go bust

Click on the icon below to see what people in my constituency think about the NHS.