NHS REVIEW SILENT ON HEALTH INEQUALITIES - LAMB

3.12.40pm GMT Wed 4th Jul 2007

MP for North Norfolk and Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb, has commented on the "Next Stage Review" of the NHS announced by Alan Johnson today.

Norman Lamb said:

"Strategic direction is sorely missing in an NHS which has seen 10 years of endless and often contradictory reform.

"However, the review fails to address some of the central failings in the NHS.

"It is silent on the damaging health inequalities, which have widened under Labour. It also says nothing about the democratic deficit in the NHS, which has seen people across the country have little say in whether their local hospitals get shut down. And there is no mention of how productivity in the NHS has decreased, despite Government spending being trebled.

"We need more than warm words about consultation and involvement if Gordon Brown is to convince us that the NHS is really his top priority."