Under Labour, the NHS has seen an average increase in resources of 6.7 per cent each year since 1999.

The Labour Party manifesto aims to build on this firm foundation by giving patients legally enforceable guarantees.

The first of these came into effect on 1 April 2010: if your GP suspects that you may have cancer you are guaranteed to see a specialist in two weeks. Labour will add to this, guaranteeing diagnostic tests for cancer in one week. Treatment will be guaranteed to start within 18 weeks of seeing a GP, otherwise the NHS will fund a private alternative.

The NHS is a world-class health service, however Labour wants to improve its capacity for preventative care. This emphasis on preventative medicine can be seen in the ambitious project Change 4 Life which aims to promote a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Further to this, regular health checks will be guaranteed for people between the ages of 40 and 74, which could help prevent as many as 10,000 heart attacks and strokes every year.

Labour will aim to make it easier for people to access the NHS services by expanding the availability of GP led health centers which are open 7 days a week from ‘8 til 8′.

People will be able to register with a GP anywhere they choose, including near their work if that makes accessing NHS services easier, while a national ‘111′ telephone will be introduced making it easier to access and book non-emergency medical services.

The full details of all Labour’s manifesto pledges can be found on the manifesto section of the website.

In this video, Chuka discusses Labour delivery in Streatham outside Gracefield Gardens Health Centre.

Having opened in 2008, the centre gives residents access to council and health services under one roof including GPs, nursing, foot health, baby clinic, midwifery and specialist therapy, and represents £8.9m of government investment.

In this video, Chuka discusses what Labour has done for local health services outside NHS Baldry Gardens, a fantastic new health facility due to open this summer.

It will provide new premises for a popular GP practice as well as a large community space used for health activities including baby clinics and exercise classes.

In February, Keith Hill took part in the topping out ceremony of the new building along with Chair of NHS Lambeth Caroline Hewitt and Dr Jim Hill, a GP at Drakewood Surgery.

Baldry Gardens is one of six new or improved health centres across the Streatham Constituency since 1997.

Since coming into power in 1997 the Labour Party has dramatically increased the funding available for the National Health Service.

Demonstrating how the NHS is safe in the hands of a Labour government, there has been an average annual increase of 6.7% in resources since 1999. However, we cannot be content to rest on our laurels, and this is why we are continually adapting and improving the service.

With this in mind Labour has turned the time targets which have improved the delivery of vital medical services into legally enforceable rights. The NHS constitution sets out what professionals, patients and the public can expect from the NHS.

Since April 1st of this year, patients have had the legally enforceable right to be seen by a specialist within 2 weeks if they are expected to have cancer. Further to this, over the next five years the Labour Party will deliver its commitment to provide diagnosis for suspected lung, colorectal or ovarian cancer within a week, which could save up to 10,000 lives per year.

The Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, commented:

“As the NHS continues to improve, so will its Constitution – that is why we are already looking ahead at future rights. We want patients to have the legal right to key diagnostic tests and results for patients who may have cancer within one week of seeing a GP, to die at home, to evening and weekend access to GPs, and to access to NHS dentistry.

“As the NHS strives to move from good to great and becomes more people-centred and preventative, the Constitution will ensure that all the improvements it makes can be safeguarded for generations to come.”

Details of the rights you are entitled to as a patient of the NHS can be found on the NHS website, and if you wish to support this initiative then you can pledge your support at www.votenhs.com.

The government published the Building the National Care Service white paper which set out the principles by which a National Care Service would be created. The National Care Service is ultimately envisioned to be akin to the National Health Service – a universal service that is free at point of use.

The white paper puts forward 6 founding principles for the universal care system, the National Care Service should:

• Be universal: It should support all those who need it, when they need it.
• Be free at point of use: The provision of quality care shouldn’t be based on wealth, but should be based on need.
• Work in partnership: It needs to involve all those groups – public, private and NGOs – providing individuals with care services.
• Offer choice and control: People should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.
• Supporting carers, families and community life: The system needs to recognise and support the contributions made by families carers and communities.
• Be accessible: It should be easy to access and understand, helping people make the choices that are right for them.

This is obviously an ambitious project, and in recognition of this fact Labour have set out three stages in which a truly universal National Care Service can be created. The first phase is the Personal Care at Home Bill that the Government is currently taking through Parliament, this will provide 400,000 people with free care. Secondly, by 2014 Labour would aim to provide free care for anyone who spends more than 2 years in residential care. Finally, the introduction of a fully-fledged National Care Service, though this would have to be introduced after the next Parliament.

The proposals for a universally available system of care would require everyone to make a fair contribution, however a range of deferred payment options could be offered. Different payment methods will suit different people, and for this reason we believe that options should be offered that fit with people’s circumstances.

Age Concern are currently running a consultation on the proposals offered by Labour, you can let them know what you think on their website or by emailing them at care {at} ace.org(.)uk.

The government has launched a new Cancer Strategy which, supported by an investment of £370 million by 2010, will majorly improve existing cancer care. The strategy will build a world-class cancer service, helping to save more lives and ensure patients in Streatham and across the country get the care they deserve.

The NHS has made significant progress on cancer treatment under Labour; from extending screening for breast and bowel cancer to reducing waiting times for referral and treatment for cancer patients.

Labour’s new cancer strategy will do more to prevent cancer, diagnose cancer more quickly and provide even better care. Measures will include further extending breast and bowel cancer screening, investing £200 million to increase radiotherapy capacity and a new HPV vaccine to help reduce cervical cancer. Under these plans those who have, or have had, cancer will be offered free one-to-one care in their homes by a specialist personal nurse.

Speaking about the plans Gordon Brown said: “Instead of arriving at a hospital and hoping to see the nurse or the doctor you had before, that nurse will stay with you. And that nurse would be able to help you at home as well as when you arrive at the hospital. This one-to-one care is how we plan to develop lots of other services in future.”

Chuka Umunna commented: “This new strategy means that patients will have a cancer test within one week of seeing their GP, and could result in 10,000 lives a year being saved, including many right here in Streatham.”

Above is a video of the recent topping out ceremony at NHS Baldry Gardens, a fantastic new health facility in Streatham.

The £3.86 million primary care centre is located near Streatham Common and will open in the summer, providing a new home to the Drakewood GP practice and offering primary healthcare services including nursing, foot health, therapy and midwifery.

Keith Hill, Labour MP for Streatham took part in the ceremony, along with Chair of NHS Lambeth Caroline Hewitt and Dr Jim Hill, a GP at Drakewood Surgery.

Our local area has also benefitted from new and improved health facilities at the Streatham Hill Group Practice, Streatham Vale Surgery, Whittington Health Centre and Streatham Hill Clinic thanks to Labour government investment.

For more information about NHS Baldry Gardens, visit this page

Many older people and younger people with disabilities want to maintain their ability to live at home as long as possible, so Labour is proposing to extend free personal care at home to 280,000 people with the highest needs.

The Personal Care at Home Bill will invest £670 million to enable them to stay in their homes, adjusting living conditions with new technology and adaptations whilst also protecting the free care already provided.

Under the proposals 130,000 people will be able to gain new skills that help them to maintain their independence. Additionally, 111,000 people who in the past have had to fund their own home care will receive it for free.

In the long run this will save both social care services and the NHS money, and will form the first step towards a new National Care Service.

Chuka Umunna said : “Labour’s Personal Care at Home Bill will make personal care simple, fair and accessible, giving hundreds of thousands of people new dignity and independence.”

“Many elderly people and younger disabled people need help with everyday tasks such as getting in and out of bed, washing and dressing. Too many still have to fund the support they need out of
their own pocket – or do without.”

“And what’s more, many have to give up living at home in order to receive that support. This bill will help put an end to this.”

The Conservatives, who oppose a National Care Service, instead want a private insurance scheme which will require people to pay £8,000 for residential care, without support to stay in their own home. Not only does this underestimate the cost of such care, but it would also exclude those unable to pay and create a perverse incentive for people to leave their homes even where this is unnecessary or inappropriate.

The Conservative policy, which also does nothing for younger disabled people, has been criticised by social care experts.

Chuka continued: “In 1945 it was Labour that created a National Health Service, free at the point of use, improving life in the UK beyond measure. And now we are setting out to create a new National Care Service in the same spirit of dignity and wellbeing for all.”

The creation of a high quality, free and universal healthcare service for everyone in Britain is a great Labour legacy.

Since entering government in 1997, the Labour Party has worked to ensure that the NHS is constantly improving, saving lives and helping communities.

More investment in front Line services

There are now 44,000 more doctors, and 89,000 more nurses than in 1997. Labour has also placed more focus on community services by creating 90 new walk-in health centres, over 650 one-stop primary care centres and furthermore has pledged £750 million for the creation of a new generation of modern, convenient Community Hospitals.

The success of this investment is clear from the fact the in 2007, 33,000 more lives were saved from cardiovascular diseases than in 1996.

More operations and shorter waiting lists

There are now three million more operations carried out each year than in 1997, and double the number of heart operations. The waiting times for operations have also halved.

Since 1997 the Labour government has been committed to bringing down waiting lists and as a result, waiting times for treatment are at their lowest since records began.

Whatever your condition, you will not have to wait more than 18 weeks from a GP referral to the start of hospital treatment, and the overall number of people on waiting lists has been brought down by 600,000 since 1997.

Whereas in 1997 284,000 patients were waiting for over six months for treatment, today the average wait for inpatient treatment stands at 4.5 weeks. The Tories, however, plan to abolish targets for the reduction of waiting lists, which will risk a return to the days of long waits and a poorer quality of healthcare.

Increased choice and better information for patients

In order to allow individuals a greater degree of control over their treatment, the Labour government has introduced an online Choose and Book system. Once the patient and GP have agreed that specialist care is necessary, the patient can go to www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk and pick an appointment on a date and time that fits comfortably around their commitments, at a hospital of their choice.

Furthermore, over three quarters of GP practices have begun to offer extended opening hours for at least one evening or weekend session per week in order to allow greater access to medical assistance.

In addition, people can now visit the NHS website to read or contribute to reviews of GP surgeries. This comparison service encourages GPs to push harder to ensure the highest levels of quality healthcare for their communities.

Improved Cancer Care

The Labour government has guaranteed that anyone with suspected cancer will see a cancer specialist within two weeks, and all prescriptions for individuals receiving treatment for cancer will be completely free.

Since 1996 cancer mortality rates for under-75s have decreased by 18.2%, saving nearly 9000 more lives in 2007 than in 1996.

The government has also renewed its drive towards prevention of cancer, and has offered all teenage girls a vaccination against cervical cancer, alongside providing services to help individuals quit smoking and banning smoking in public places.

The Tories plan to undo all of the hard work Labour has put into ensuring that waiting lists are reduced by abolishing targets, and ignoring the benefits that they have brought to communities and individuals across the country.

All of the above successes demonstrate that the Labour party is committed to the NHS and dedicated to free and good quality healthcare for all.

Visit www.labour.org.uk/welovethenhs and www.twitter.com/welovethenhs

To find out about more about NHS delivery in the local area, follow this link

Users of local hospitals will benefit from free parking as the government is abolishing charges for inpatients and their visitors.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced that patients will be given a free parking permit for the duration of their stay in hospital to pass on to visiting friends and families, for whom parking costs can currently rack up.

The phasing out of the charges will take place over three years, and could save patients and their families up to £2 million a year. It will be paid for by year-on-year savings in back office NHS costs.

Local hospitals have benefitted from investment under Labour – King’s College Hospital in Denmark Hill has a brand new 750-room Golden Jubilee Wing which cost £60 million.

St George’s Hospital in Tooting opened its award-winning new Atkinson Morley Wing in 2003 after government capital investment of £50 million.

Chuka said: “The last thing patients in hospital and their loved ones should have to worry about is paying for a parking ticket.”

“Friends and family should be able to visit patients in hospital without repeatedly paying parking fees to do so.”