Conservative & Labour

Liberal Democrats

• Health authorities no longer providing some services.
• NHS dentistry almost wiped out in some areas.
• The creation of a two-tier health service, allowing patients of GP fundholders to jump the queue whilst other patients are on longer waiting lists.
• The waiting lists of people that need an operation in hospital have rocketed to record numbers.
• The introduction of charges for eye and dental checks have resulted in a 21% fall in the number of tests performed.

Labour have:

• Made no commitment on health funding.
• Refused to end the health quangos.
• Shown no interest in making the health service more accountable to local people.
• Forgotten that during the 1970's the Labour government was responsible for waiting lists rising by 50% and reducing nurses wages by 21%.

At the root of most of these problems is a lack of money where it really matters.

• Make preventative measures and health promotion a priority.
• Increase investment in health education, public health, primary care and occupational health.
• Provide more resources for health promotion by using tobacco taxes. Our priorities for the revenue would be to abolish eye and dental check charges and to freeze prescription charges.
• Make health authorities more accountable and open up NHS trusts to give local people a say over the health service provided in their area.
• Introduce a common basis for allocating funds to GPs to end the built-in-two-tier service created by the Conservatives.
• Establish a National Inspectorate of Health to maintain and raise standards and promote the interests of patients.
• Replacement of the 'internal market' with service agreements between health authorities, hospitals and other health units.
• The replacement of GP fundholding with a system which guarantees GPs freedom to refer patients outside the service agreements negotiated by health authorities.
• The publication and effective implementation of a patient's charter, extending choice for all.
• A sustained increase in NHS funding, including full allowance for health service inflation, a guaranteed real annual increase sufficient to meet rising need, and targeted investment in priority areas.
• The creation of a local management structure for all hospitals and community units, ending the ability of the NHS Trusts to dispose of their capital assets, to set their own terms and conditions of service, and to withdraw from the local planning of services.