Investment in the NHS has almost trebled under Labour.

Waiting lists and mortality rates have dropped dramatically.

This is working locally:
Hornsey Hospital was saved from closure to become a local polyclinic and the Whittington Hospital has been extensively rebuilt.

See how Labour compares:

Labour’s policies Tory Government
  • 149 New Hospitals have been built or are in the pipeline
  • Investment in the NHS increased from £34.7 billion in 1997/98 to £96.3 billion in 2008/09. This investment has led to 80,000 more nurses, 38,000 more doctors and 4,500 more NHS Dentists
  • GP opening hours are more convenient
  • Nurses and other health workers pay has increased and an equal pay system introduced to end pay discrimination.
Cuts and Neglect
… have promised “savage cuts” in the public sector
… will scrap Labour’s deal with the BMA for at least 50% of GP practices to offer extended opening hours.
- Before Labour in 1997 there was chronic under-investment which left the NHS in crisis. Waiting lists rose by 400,000, the hospital building programme ground to a halt and low pay left hard working nurses and health workers struggling to get by.

Shorter waiting times for treatment.

  • In 1997 284,000 people were on waiting lists for over 6 months. In 2008 virtually no one waited over 13 weeks
  • Deaths from heart disease are 40% lower that in 1997
  • Cancer mortality rates have dropped 18% with 99% of suspected cases seeing a specialist within 2 weeks of referral and over 99% starting treatment within 1 month, saving over 60,000 lives
  • Free prescriptions for cancer patients and free health checks for everyone in England

All of Labour’s patient guarantees would be scrapped, this includes:

  • Ending all patients beginning hospital treatment with in 18 weeks of GP referral
  • Ending those suspected of having cancer seeing a specialist with 2 weeks and if diagnosed starting treatment with in 1 month
  • Ending all A&E patients being seen with in 4 hours.