NHS (60th Anniversary)

Why did the hon. Gentleman have to intervene? I was just mentioning the tolerance: the figure is 10 per cent., so there is a 90 per cent. target because of the fact that there is a tolerance and—[Interruption.] The hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton) says from a sedentary position that I said ““nobody””. Before the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire intervened, I made it clear that there is a tolerance level, as there is for all targets. Let me quote Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund:"““Every opinion poll and headline ten years ago said that if there was one thing the public wanted fixed in the NHS it was waiting times, and they've done it.””" His words:"““It is quite staggering.””" That is from the independent King's Fund. He continues by saying that"““the whole point of the targets was to change clinical priorities, because doctors seemed content to put up with long waits for their patients—while patients were not content…There is no evidence that vital priorities such as urgent cases have been delayed.””" Patients do not want to see a return to perilous waiting times, and we will continue to be their advocates. We are now coming through the necessary era of top-down targets, and are refining and improving how we measure performance. As my noble Friend Lord Darzi of Denham has made clear, quality must be the organising principle of the service. We have already proved by our actions our commitment to letting go from the centre. In 1999 we relinquished power to determine which new drugs and technologies the NHS should adopt, and put it in the hands of a new independent body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. In the same year, we established the Healthcare Commission and the other commissions, making them responsible for setting standards, and inspecting and reporting on every hospital, mental health and social care provider in England—completely beyond the influence of politicians. Four years ago, we established NHS foundation trusts—independent of Whitehall, accountable to their members and making their own decisions on how best to serve their patients. The NHS is in rude health: we no longer debate its survival, but its continuing success. On Monday, we will publish our next stage review. From the NHS plan in 2000 right up to now, there has been consistency: first the resources; then the mechanisms for reform; and now a fundamental concentration on improving quality. A national, enabling framework will be driven by the local priorities set out by thousands of clinicians, patients and members of the public; they drove the process that set the direction of the health service in every region of the country. It was developed locally because local clinicians, patients and managers are best acquainted with the specifics of improving patient care, and are best equipped with the knowledge and ideas necessary to shape the future of the service. Unlike the situation in 1948, we are no longer in the age of infectious and acute disease, but in the age of chronic and lifestyle disease. The burden of modern and future health care systems will be to support an ageing population, to help those with long-term conditions to manage their care better, to promote health and well-being so that we can ward off disease, and to keep up with the astonishing advances in medicine and technology. Only through universal health care, free at the point of need, can we make sure that all citizens benefit from those advances. Whereas our national health service makes screening and vaccination programmes available to all, an insurance-based system could use what we discover about disease to increase premiums. Under such a system, the scientific knowledge that could liberate a patient from the threat of disease and early death would instead remove their right to treatment. At the beginning of the 21st century, therefore, the value of the NHS is even more important than at any time in the past 60 years. Only because of the attention and care that the Labour party has shown the NHS—running beyond a mere expression of support, welcome though that is—can we address the challenge of today's health requirements. Massive increases in investment put us in touching distance of European spending levels. There have been huge gains in staff numbers—80,000 more nurses and 38,000 more doctors. Every week another new building to host primary and social care services opens, and 125 new hospitals will be open by 2010. For today's NHS, the way ahead is through a greater emphasis on prevention, personalisation, individual choice and easier access to even safer services. It is right that we pay tribute to the NHS as we approach its 60th anniversary. Nobody would claim that it is perfect, but it is deeply cherished by the British public because of its enduring values, and because it epitomises the social solidarity that is as important today as it was 60 years ago. I commend the amendment to the House.