Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has this morning outlined a series of reforms that a Labour government would bring into the NHS.
In an editorial piece in the Sunday Telegraph and on the BBC’s Laura Keunssberg show he cautioned that “well-meaning reverence” for the health service has “supplanted reality”, adding that it must not be seen as “off limits” for criticism.
He told Laura Keunssberg that he wants to look at “all sorts of reform” for the NHS in order to preserve it
His plans include allowing some patients to make self-referrals and doubling the number of graduating doctors and district nurses
In his Telegraph column Sir he warned that “investment alone won’t be enough” to rescue the NHS and said he will tackle “ingrained thinking” among hospital managers to force change and modernisation of the service.
He told the BBC that the reason he wants to reform the health service is because I want to preserve it.
“I think if we don’t reform the health service we will be in managed decline,” he added.
“It will always have to be free at the point of use, it of course should be a public service. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use effectively the private sector as well.”
