New plans outlined to clean up hospitals and cut waiting lists in North London

William MacDougall, the Tottenham Conservative Parliamentary candidate has backed the action plan unveiled by Conservatives to improve hospitals in Tottenham and across the country, including ending waiting lists and clamping down on dirty wards which are breeding grounds for dangerous
'superbugs' like MRSA. The plans are detailed in Conservatives' new health manifesto.

MacDougall explained,

"Mr Blair has spent billions of pounds of taxpayers' money, but today there are too many bureaucrats, too many dirty hospitals and too many people waiting for treatment. Despite the hard work and professionalism of our doctors and nurses, the NHS is failing many people who have been forgotten by Labour.

"I am very concerned that many people in North London, like pensioners, are now worried about entering hospital because of fears about catching superbugs. Vulnerable people need the peace of mind that they will be treated quickly in clean hospitals.  North Middlesex Hospital has seen an
18% increase in MRSA infections in the last two years."

The manifesto includes a number of measures to increase the quality and quantity of health care including:

*    Cleaner hospitals:  Matrons will be re-introduced so that there is one person in each hospital responsible for delivering a clean and safe environment in hospitals. Inspection teams will also be given the authority to close wards and overrule managers.

*     Shorter waiting lists:  Patients will be given the Right to Choose any NHS hospital. In addition, patients will be able to be treated, without charge, at any independent hospital that costs the same as the NHS. We will also contribute towards patients who choose a more expensive independent hospital, so freeing up the NHS to cut waiting lists.

*     Extra money, better value: By the end of the next Parliament, health spending will be £34 billion more than the level to be inherited from Labour. But it will be spent better.  Strategic Health authorities would go and the Primary Care Trusts would be streamlined which would release £1.3
billion for further investment on the front line.

*      Long-term care: We will ensure that no-one has to sell their home to pay for long-term care fees.

*       More NHS dentists: We will provide a framework for NHS dentistry, attractive to dentists and affordable and accessible to patients. We will seek to reverse the decline in the number of people registered with an NHS dentist since 1997.

MacDougall  concluded,