NHS (60th Anniversary)

My hon. Friend has made an important point. This is not a question of party political partisanship; it is a question of the accountability involved in trying to make the resources committed commensurate with the results that we are all trying to achieve. That is to do with the operation of the NHS, and that is why—as my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood pointed out—it is right for us to have debates such as this in order to decide how best we can deliver the results that we all want. The hon. Member for Wirral, West (Stephen Hesford) made a long speech that went round the houses and a number of parts of the Wirral. It left us wondering what debate he was contributing to, because it did not seem to relate to anything else that was going on. As for the all too short contribution by the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor), I think that while many us shared his disappointment that the debate had been diverted by some chippy approaches and contributions, we were grateful for the opportunity to hear his reminiscences, not least because he is probably the Member with the most experience of the NHS over a long period. He has committed himself to the health service throughout his life, and we salute him for that. Staff, volunteers and charities support the increasing improvements in health outcomes that we all want to see in the NHS, and we should not lose sight of the importance of research and development, either. I pay tribute to the Secretary of State for emphasising that in his speech, as it is vital. In today's debate, not only has the need to move from a target-driven NHS to a health outcomes-driven NHS been spelt out, but so, too, has the means by which we can achieve that, which is what people want. I hope that the Government, who no doubt had their eyes and ears officially at the launch of our document today, are listening carefully, because our proposals—and this document—are there for them to pick up. We do not just have pride of authorship in the document; we hope that they will pick up on it, as it will lead to better health outcomes for our constituents and give a proper chance for the NHS to develop over the next 60 years in the way that we all wish, particularly as we celebrate its first 60 years. In congratulating the NHS on its 60th anniversary, we thank, celebrate and encourage all the staff, past and present and clinical and non-clinical alike. They can be assured of our support on behalf of our constituents, and know that all of us draw inspiration from the very idea of the NHS. All we want is for it to reach the levels of improvement that we know it can achieve when the people in it are trusted to deliver the improved health outcomes we all want. I commend the motion to the House.