Health Secretary To Outline Health Future At Labour Conference

Today the health secretary Mr Johnson has addressed delegates at a labour conference and outline the future of the NHS health service.

Mr Johnson told the BBC he wanted the NHS to be “clinically led, locally driven” and convenient for patients. He is expected to flesh out promises to ‘deep clean’ hospitals to combat super bugs such as MRSA and Clostridium Difficile.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is speculated to call an autumn poll and after his leader’s speech on Monday, that speculation has grown. Although Mr Brown didn’t refer to the election talk during his speech, he refused to rule out calling an early election in a series of media interviews.

It’s always the same, whenever the is an election, the health service is expected to be a key issue with all three main parties who battle to make it “theirs”.

Mr Johnson’s speech to the conference is likely to say more about proposals to urgently treat suspected breast cancer cases, expand colon cancer screening programmes, offer all adults health checks and boost patient power.

Also, he is expected to outline plans for a new regulator to check on standards in hospitals and close down wards if it is necessary, as well as proposals which will give personal safety alarms to hospital staff who need them to improve security.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Mr Johnson said that he did not want a “confrontational approach” with GP’s or to change the contract from 2004 but he aims to work with GP’s and the BMA to develop a “much more convenient service”.

“The NHS was developed as a kind of monolithic organisation, it was a creature of its time, very centrally driven,”

“That has changed, what we are trying to do … is to get local practitioners looking out towards their patients rather than up towards Whitehall for their tablet of stone.”

“What I want is to focus absolutely remorselessly on patient care - how we can improve patient care. And part of that is empowering patients to say I’m not getting good care with this GP I’ll go to another GP,”.

So, would this mean GP’s would have to compete against one another?

“In a sense, that’s true but I don’t think it would work on the basis of, you know, Tesco versus Asda.
It would be people who want a GP practice where they believe that the people running the practice are polite and hospitable and are welcoming, where they can an appointment ahead of time, where they fell the GP understands their particular needs.”

Get the latest news in our RSS Feed, Newsletter or follow us on Twitter.