Further reading: the NHS at the party conferences

Some useful links and quotes on the NHS from the party conferences, including the full speeches from the shadow and actual health secretaries.

Liberal Democrat announcement by Norman Lamb on £1.5m extra funding for personal health budgets (25 September): “Giving those with complex health needs the control of how to spend money on their care gives them and their doctors the flexibility to try innovative new approaches to achieve better health outcomes.”

Andy Burnham’s speech to Labour conference (3 October): “To the district general hospitals that are struggling, I don’t say close or privatise. I say let’s help you develop into different organisations – moving into the community and the home meeting physical, social and mental needs.”

Reaction via Twitter (collected by Guardian Healthcare Network)

@andyburnham speech at #lab12 will repeal H&SCAct & return N to NHS, maintain national pay, no structural reorg, new vision for NHS & care.

— Richard Humphries (@RichardatKF) October 3, 2012

BBC coverage, including video and analysis by health correspondent Nick Triggle: “The last 20 years or so has been marked by a desire by politicians from all sides to use the market to make the NHS more efficient. Labour under Tony Blair expanded this under the patient choice initiative.”

Guardian coverage of Andy Burnham at a Labour fringe event: “Private sector and charities would play a supporting role to a publicly owned, publicly accountable NHS.”

Jeremy Hunt announces £155m in new funding for NHS, including £100m in loans for nurses’ ICT (6 October, Independent): “Most nurses and midwives chose their profession because they wanted to spend time caring for patients, not filling out paperwork. New technology can make that happen.” (NB – this was almost completely overshadowed by an interview Hunt gave to the Times, published on the same day and available in full only to subscribers, in which he said he favoured halving the time limit for abortions to 12 weeks. Downing Street said there are no plans for legislation.)

Jeremy Hunt’s speech to Conservative conference (9 October): “If Andrew is the health secretary who helped give us the structures for a modern NHS, I want to be the health secretary who helped transform the culture of the system – to make it the best in the world at looking after older people.”

Reaction via Twitter (collected by Guardian Healthcare Network)

Interesting to hear Jeremy Hunt making dignity and compassion central to his speech, whilst naming instances of abuse #cpc12

— Martin Coyle (@coyle_mj) October 9, 2012

BBC coverage, including video and analysis by Nick Triggle: “It is clear Mr Hunt has been brought in to establish a clear and concise message about the government’s position on the NHS.”