“You can’t trust the Tories with the NHS” – Ed Miliband on the King’s Fund report

The King’s Fund, a health think tank, has said that A&E waiting times, cancer care and routine operations have all begun to get worse, while there is chronic underfunding that isn’t being fully addressed by either of the two main political parties.

The King’s Fund have said that to keep NHS England functioning properly, the minimum amount of extra funding that would be needed by 2020 would be £8bn a year.  Labour’s currently proposals would see them increasing funding by £2.5bn a year by 2020.

On these findings, Ed Miliband said that the Conservatives were the ones to blame for this crisis, arguing that only Labour had the answers:

If anyone still underestimated the scale of the crisis facing the NHS then you just need to look at todays report from the Kings Fund.

It talks of a “deteriorating” service.

The NHS “operating at the very edge of its limits”.

This is the story of the NHS in crisis.

Targets missed on A&E waiting times, cancer and hospital treatment.

Staff under pressure and morale at rock bottom.

GP’s under pressure and access to mental health services under threat.

And in the words of todays report, all of this the direct result of David Cameron’s “damaging and distracting” health reforms.

There can be no doubt, David Cameron is to blame.

He said we could trust him with the NHS, that it would be safe in his hands, but the verdict today is clear and unequivocal.

You just can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.

So the question at this election is who can turn things around, who can rescue the NHS from this Government?

And the answer is Labour.

We have a plan to turn things around in our NHS.

With 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more doctors, 5,000 more care workers, and 3,000 more midwives.

GP appointments guaranteed within 48 hours.

A one week wait for cancer tests.

Better care for the elderly at home.

An NHS with time to care.

A guarantee on cancer tests.

Paid for and fully funded.

By a mansion tax on properties worth over £2 million to support our time to care fund.

And by closing tax loopholes exploited by hedge funds that this Tory government will never stand up to.”

This is probably something he will mention in tonight’s “debate”.