The National Health Service is one of the greatest achievement’s of our country and is something of we are all rightly proud of. But as the NHS advances through its seventh decade the demands we make of it get ever greater. The benefit of good healthcare means that people live longer and the sophistication of medical technology enables us to treat people more effectively, but at a rising price. That is why I believe the Government was correct to protect and increase the budget of the NHS despite the great pressures we face on the public finances, because of the large amount of debt the country has to pay for. The Government announced last week a £35 million increase in the budget for our local NHS primary care trust for the coming year. However, that does not mean that there is not a need to modernise the way the NHS works to protect the interest of patients, respect the central role played by healthcare professionals and secure the quality of service for future generations.
There has been considerable debate in the last few weeks about the Government’s proposals to reform the NHS, and on Monday the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced to parliament that there will be a further consultation as part of the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through parliament.
At the heart of our approach to improving the health service is the absolute belief that healthcare is available to all, based on need, not the ability to pay, and where more power over the delivery of services lies in the hands of local doctors, nurses, health professionals and local communities.
When the Government produced its initial recommendations last year for NHS reform and giving more power to local groups of GPs to commission services for their patients, I organised a meeting to hear what our doctors thought. I have also met with senior professionals and board members in the Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust, and have further meetings planned with the GPs who will be taking the lead in establishing a commissioning consortium for Shepway. For this process of reform to achieve the best results it must be based on an effective dialogue between Government and the professionals, but focused on the clear outcome of delivering a better and more efficient service for patients.
Last Friday I was invited as the guest speaker to The Harvey Grammar School’s prize giving afternoon at the Leas Cliff Hall. It was a pleasure to join the staff, students and their families on this special day and an honour to be asked to present the prizes. The afternoon marks the achievement of the students across a wide range of disciplines from academic success, through sport, music and drama. Earlier in the day I also met with the school’s Principal, Bill Wright, the Chairman of Governors John Dennis and the Head Boy, Lukas Warrilow, who gave me a tour of the school. My congratulations go to everyone involved with the school on their achievements in another excellent year.