On 2nd October I invited members of the constituency who work in the NHS to a Question and Answer Forum with Andy Burnham MP, the Health Secretary.  Once again, as with previous events, I was thrilled with the turnout with people for a wide range of professions joining us, from GPs and nurses to students, union workers and hospital board members.  This was reflected in the variety of questions that people were keen to raise with Andy; we had frank discussions on topics such as the abolishment of hospital car park charges, access to NHS dentists and the out-sourcing of services to private companies. 
 
The event came just days after Tory MEP Daniel Hannan sparked national outrage over his comments on the NHS.  The response from the public was overwhelmingly in favour of the NHS, defending its status as a national institution and sparking a Twitter revolution whereby we felt compelled to share our personal stories of the NHS.
 
The NHS is Labour’s proudest achievement and we remain committed to providing free healthcare for all as a right, not a privilege.  Under Labour’s government waiting times are down, there are more doctors and nurses and we have trebled investment.  We have built more hospitals and walk-in centres and slashed cancer mortality rates and the number of cases of super bugs such as MRSA and C.difficile. 
 
In the future, Labour is working to abolish mixed sex hospital accommodation and has ear marked £100 million for the Privacy and Dignity Fund.  By the end of 2010 we want to have extended the ages at which adults are screened for cancer, particularly breast cancer and bowel cancer, and by the end of 2011 3,600 more psychological therapists will have helped more than 900,000 people who are dealing with anxiety and depression, improving their quality of life and helping them back to work and off benefits.
 
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