Meacher slams Tories on NHS

OLDHAM MP Michael Meacher has blasted Tory health policies.

The Oldham West and Royton MP claims the NHS is not safe in Conservative hands and said the health service had seen £20 billion of cuts in the last five years.

He said: “The NHS requires expenditure, not just to keep up with inflation, but also even more importantly to keep up with two other sources of demand — the steadily rising number of elderly people, who make by far the greatest demands on the health service, together with the steadily rising costs of new technology and new drugs.

“Throughout its history the NHS has had real-term funding increases of four per cent a year. David Cameron is proposing a zero increase over the next five years - exactly what has happened over the last five years. Official figures claim a 0.1 per cent increase since 2010.

“This is at least an annual two per cent fall in what the NHS needs each year to maintain its existing standards.”

He said a 10-year commitment to raise NHS funding is needed to meet the demand of a growing population, and to improve waiting times and access to GPs.