NHS should be transformed into a People's Health Service

9.54.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Jun 2008

National Health Service

Speaking ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NHS, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has criticised the Government's record of waste and inefficient centralised control in the health service, which has led to widening health inequalities.

Nick Clegg set out his plan for a People's Health Service, which prunes back the role of the state in the NHS, devolves power to local communities and empowers individual patients.

Attacking the Government's stewardship of the NHS, the speech contains new Liberal Democrat research showing that one in three GP surgeries are not offering patients appointments within the Government target of 48 hours, with almost a quarter making patients wait up to a week.

Despite recent Government promises to extend GP opening hours, only 12% of GPs surveyed were able to offer an appointment at 7pm on a weekday, with only 10% offering appointments at the weekend.

Speaking to health think-tank The King's Fund in central London, Nick Clegg said "The desire to control from the centre remains at the heart of government policy."

Continuing Nick said So the question facing politicians today is this: how can we move beyond the centralising agenda? How can we deliver quality public services - with better, fairer outcomes - without repeating the statist errors of the past decade?"

"In my view, that is the greatest dilemma for progressive politicians of all parties in Britain today: how to achieve social progress through a new, decentralised state."

Outlining the Liberal Democrat approach to improving public services, including health, Nick said "First, that the role of the central state should be pruned back, so that Whitehall is able to concentrate and deliver on its three key functions: ensuring fair distribution of resources, high professional standards, and universal access to public services."

"Second, the radical devolution of power and responsibility to those communities that it affects and who understand how best to use it."

"And third, the empowerment of individual service users to make their own choices and chart their own path in a way that suits their individual needs."

Speaking about narrowing health inequalities, Nick Clegg said "I want to look at ways of rewarding GPs for treating patients suffering from the greatest need. And who are at the raw end of increased health inequalities."

"And we can do that through a Patient Premium. By altering the criteria of the Qualities or Outcomes Framework or attaching a greater financial premium to poorer patients we can invest more in the health of those who are most in need. And help to close the scandalous health inequalities which shame our society."

Criticising the Government's plan for polyclinics as an example of the overbearing central state, Nick said "It will see the central imposition of a polyclinic on every PCT, regardless of the geography, demographics or clinical needs of the area.

"There is no doubt that GP-led health centres may be a good thing for many people in some communities. But the case is less clear for others - particularly in rural areas."

"Today, local consultations are being rushed through and there is a clear sense that GP-led health centres will be introduced irrespective of what local people say. Under our proposals these decisions would be made by Local Health Boards, in accordance with local opinion."