Jeremy Hunt NHS.
Jeremy Hunt walked out on the stage and looked and sounded a little like a wooden puppet when he started. He is in charge of a huge organisation that has huge emotional connections with the majority of the population. It also has a huge, powerful, educated and articulate union of Doctors who also has its own agenda. No surprise really then. A scary gig.
He warmed up, he told stories about real people. I have worked for Aidan Burley who is the MP for Cannock Chase and we have met patient survivors from Staffordshire Hospital and relatives of those who didn’t survive. I have heard their stories first hand and seen their pictures and their files. They are shocking in a visceral physical way. They are a shame on the NHS and the guilty people who worked there and it is right that these issues are being addressed by this government. They are also a shame and indictment on the Labour government that saw those things happen.
I was pleased he also mentioned dementia and mental health – although I think we could and should do more in these areas. But at least – because of David Cameron’s priorities – we are spending more on the NHS than Labour promised to do last week.
