As
regular readers of this column will be aware, I am a strong
believer that this Government has achieved a great deal
when it comes
to the
National Health Service.
The
reduction in waiting times and record investment means that the NHS
is in the best shape that it has been in for decades.
My own survey of
constituents to discover their views of Princess Alexandra Hospital
showed overwhelming satisfaction.
But despite our achievements, I do not
think we should dwell on the success we have had up to this
point. Instead,
on the eve of the 60th anniversary of a labour
Government creating the NHS, I am extremely excited about what the
service is to become in the future.
Last week the Prime Minister announced a new
direction for the health service. In future the emphasis will be
as much on prevention and detection as cure. The Prime Minister
pledged to introduce screening for a number of serious conditions which presently affect the lives of 6.2
million people, cause 200,000 deaths each year and account for a
fifth of all hospital admissions.
The groundbreaking program
will screen people for conditions such as heart problems, stroke,
diabetes and kidney disease. This really does herald a new age for
the NHS, and offers a sharp contrast to the way it was prior to
1997. In those days pensioners had to wait 18 months for an eye
operation and surgery waiting times were expressed in years rather
than months or weeks. In the modern age we have dramatically
reduced waiting times, and can now move on to harnessing the
awesome power of modern technology to save lives through
prevention. For example, as many as 1,600 lives could be saved each
year by offering men at 65 a simple ultrasound test for early
abdominal aortic aneurysm, also known as "triple
A".
The emphasis
on prevention, combined with the increase in patient choice where
the power now resides with the patient, shows that, just as sixty
years ago, the NHS is only ever going to improve and thrive when
managed by a Government willing to think radically and back up that
radical thought with the required investment.
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