Bridget Phillipson MP: Over 14 years the Conservatives broke our NHS – but it is not beaten

Over the decades we have created and nurtured this precious and unique institution, founded on the principles that quality healthcare must be provided free at the point of delivery. In turn, since 1948, the NHS has saved, protected and improved millions of lives.

Over 14 years, the Conservatives broke our NHS. But it is not beaten.

In that time we saw expensive and unnecessary top-down reforms, long-running industrial disputes, an annual winter crisis, lengthening waiting lists and waiting times, and a de facto two-tier system with working people regularly forced to scrape together the means to go private. The Tories brought the NHS to its knees.

Public service performance is at historic lows and under the Conservatives it would have worsened under their plans to slash public investment by £10 billion over the next 5 years.

But now, with Labour in government, we have the chance to build an NHS fit for the future.

At the Budget, Labour chose to protect working people. We have taken the necessary decisions to fix the foundations and deliver change, investing in our public services so we can rebuild our NHS and cut hospital waiting lists.

We’ve committed £25.6 billion over two years for the NHS, to cut waiting times with 40,000 extra elective appointments a week, and build capacity for more than 30,000 additional procedures so that you and your loved ones can get the care that you deserve.

But investment must go hand in hand with reform, the Health Secretary has set out three big shifts in this area.

First, from sickness to prevention, so that we can predict, pre-empt and prevent ill health in the first place. We must tackle the biggest killers such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and suicide.

Second, from hospital to community, with new neighbourhood health centres, closer to homes and communities.

And third, from analogue to digital, giving patients proper choice and control over their own healthcare, and finally properly utilising the NHS app.

Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you see first-hand what is great, but also what is not working.

We all owe the NHS a debt of gratitude for moments in our lives when it was there for us, when we needed it most. Now we have a chance to repay that debt. We need to do everything we can to get our NHS back on its feet.

Labour founded our NHS. We saved it before. We will save it again.