Tories target £1.5bn in NHS savings
Andrew Lansley says Conservative party would eradicate third of NHS spending on bureaucracy
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By Martyn Thomas. |  |
Monday, 05, Oct 2009 05:52
By Matthew Champion.
The Conservative party today pledged to eradicate a third of NHS spending on bureaucracy during the next parliament if elected to government.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the savings would amount to £1.5 billion, which could be reinvested in frontline care.
He told conference delegates in Manchester the Tory axe would fall upon the NHS not in terms of services but quangos, strategic health authorities and the Department of Health itself.
"We will tolerate no waste, no inflation," he said.
"We are committed to real terms increases in resources for the NHS in the next parliament. We will invest in the future of the NHS, giving people the security of the healthcare that they need, when they need it."
Mr Lansley added that the Tories would not let patients "pay for Labour's debt crisis" through sacrificing healthcare.
David Cameron has been trying to position his party as the party of the NHS since becoming leader.
He has faced repeated obstacles such as rebellious MEPs dubbing the health service a "60-year mistake", while Mr Lansley himself had links to private healthcare services exposed.
Mr Lansley's speech to conference today was the least-well attended of the opening day of the four-day event.
In his address he also confirmed a plan to give people free full-time care in later life for a one-off payment of about £8,000, in order to stop people from having to sell their houses.