Wokingham member of parliament Clive Jones delivered a powerful speech on the future of the NHS at the Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference in Brighton yesterday (Sunday).
He addressed his fellow Liberal Democrats in a speech on the future of the NHS.
In his speech, summarising and building on the conference debate, Clive shared his personal story of his battle with breast cancer, noting that without the NHS, he “would not be here today” and would not be the MP for Wokingham.
Clive told the conference he is grateful and thankful for the treatment and services he received from the NHS at the time, before expressing his frustration that the Conservatives had “put the NHS into intensive care”.
The recent Lord Darzi report made this clear that the NHS is in “serious trouble”, and its conclusions on the state of cancer care in the UK made Clive angry.
He said: “It was liberal ideas put forward by Liberal politician William Beveridge who created the blueprint for the NHS,”
He argued, that history must repeat itself and Liberals should push for Labour to adopt their policies to fix the crisis in our country’s healthcare.
Clive Jones is no stranger to these issues. The Wokingham MP has a history of campaigning for a much needed full refurbishment of Royal Berkshire Hospital, and for broader access to essential resources, such as timely GP appointments and specialist care.
Clive’s full speech.
Conference, it is an honour and a privilege to address you for the first time as the
Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham, and to summate this fantastic motion on such an important issue.
I care about our NHS deeply. It was an NHS cardiologist who found my need for a
quadruple heart bypass in 2016.
Excuse the pun, but the NHS is an issue literally close to my heart.
This debate has demonstrated so movingly that health is one of the core issues in our lives and it’s one of the reasons why the British people voted for change on July 4.
We have heard emotional speeches about how our healthcare system simply isn’t working for patients, the consequences of neglect, the pain, struggle, despair, and the loss of hope.
I can only thank those who spoke so movingly, for their confidence and eloquence on what will always be a tough topic.
Now, like everyone here, I have my own story to tell. As well as my heart issue.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Looking back on my personal experience of the NHS, I can only be grateful and thankful for the treatment I received.
And yet, as speakers have comprehensively demonstrated, the Conservatives ran the NHS into the ground. They should be ashamed of their stewardship of our precious NHS.
This week, Lord Darzi made it clear in his report that the NHS “is in serious trouble”.
Sadly, it did not surprise me to read that his report called out the failings of cancer care. It made me angry when I read how our services lag so far behind other countries.
Conference, I am so frustrated that the Conservatives put the NHS into intensive care. I am lucky to be standing here today. If it weren’t for the NHS, I would not be here and I would not be the MP for Wokingham.
That is why we are presenting our plan to save the NHS!
It’s important to me, as it is to so many of you.
Liberal Democrats will hold the Labour government to account……just as we did to the Conservatives.
The Labour Party claim they were the fathers of the NHS. But Conference, it was Liberal ideas put forward by William Beveridge who created the blueprint of the NHS.
It was his idea.
Now we are following in his footsteps to ensure that Labour adopt Liberal Democrat policies to fix the crisis in the NHS.
Conference, I hope you will join me in voting for this motion.
