15.05.12
Labour launches anti-reforms ‘NHS Check’ service
Labour leader Ed Miliband is set to offer to join forces with Britain’s nurses as he addresses the Royal College of Nursing Congress in Harrogate.
Encouraging nurses to join them against the Government’s reforms, Labour is launching a new service, NHS Check, to allow patients and staff concerned about the impact of the changes to register their opinions.
Miliband will say: “You tried to engage with the Government. You expressed the concerns that nurses were expressing to you. You warned the Government of the risks it was running.
“The Government has been acting like they are the masters, not the servants, of the NHS. They are not the masters. Not this Government. Not any Government. Our health service is owned by patients, professionals and the people.
“I will never do what this Government did: dismiss you as just a ‘vested interest’. You are not. You are the defenders of the health service.
“I want to start working with you now, to forge a partnership with you now, about some of the big long-term challenges facing the future of the NHS. And I want to start working with you now to protect the values of the NHS and to hold the Government to account for what’s going on. You are not just on the frontline in our NHS. You are the first line in the defence of our NHS.”
Health secretary Andrew Lansley addressed the Congress yesterday, facing significant opposition. He reiterated that the reforms are consistent with the Coalition agreement as they will devolve power.
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