Andrew Lansley 'pauses' progress of NHS reform bill: Miliband speech

Andrew Lansley 'pauses' progress of NHS reform bill: Miliband speech; ENGLAND: London: Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA) INT Matthew Taylor (Chief Executive, RSA) introduces Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband MP Ed Miliband MP (Labour Party Leader) speech SOT - Can I start by thanking the RSA for their contribution to public life in Britain and Matthew Taylor in particular. Matthew, I’ve known you for nearly twenty years now and you have always been a passionate advocate, a force of energy and at the IPPR, the RSA and in your work in government, an inspiring leader of people. Over the next few months I’m going to be talking about education and other public services. But today I am here to talk about the National Health Service. This is unusual. The role of Leaders is often to give panoramic ‘public service reform’ speeches and indeed the Prime Minister gave one here three months ago. But I think getting the NHS right is so important, it should demand the full attention of leaders — and preferably before, not after, they realise their policy is half-baked. The NHS is vital to the well-being of our nation. It is a genuinely world-leading healthcare system based on principles of fairness. One of the proudest institutions of our country. If it was proposed today, we would be told it could not be done. And yet the NHS was built at a time of serious financial deficit as Britain rose to the task of rebuilding itself after the war. The NHS is an institution which each generation has a responsibility to pass on to the next in better condition than they found it. This is part of what I call “The Promise of Britain”. And in my view, it is under threat from this Conservative-led government’s reorganisation. Today I want to set out what the Government’s priorities should be. Let me say at the outset that this is a debate I come to as a reformer. A reformer of the state as well as the market. It ...