Speech to Scottish Labour Party Conference 2008

We should be rightly proud of what we have achieved in health and for the NHS in Scotland since devolution.

Spending has doubled, with 700 extra doctors and 5000 extra nurses and other staff

These extra resources have made a real difference, especially in reducing waiting times and deaths from major diseases such as cancer, strokes and heart disease

And all that against a background of an aging population that lives longer and needs longer term care and resources

I have seen the benefits of this myself recently; my father suffers from COPD – a long term disease on which we should focus much more - but I have seen the superb quality of care and resources available to support him, when he needs it

Much of this is now at risk under an SNP led government which thinks only about independence and not what is best for the health and well being of our people

We are already seeing health policy driven by short term populist decisions, whilst health budgets are starting to be cut in real terms

Only Scottish Labour has the vision and values to steer our NHS and health policy into its next stage of development

We need to move now to develop policies which are not just about the "right to treatment" but about the "right to good health"

We have already made a good start, leading the way for the UK with a ban on smoking in public places

But ensuring the "right to good health" should be a defining Labour value. We are not just about treating illness or running the NHS efficiently, although we need to do these. Our values mean that we must tackle the root causes of poor health through joined up policies across government - on education, employment and housing

We can never spend "enough" on health, but we can prioritise resources to those most in need

We need to move away from a managerial culture to a culture of engagement; direct elections to Health Boards will be a good start, but we should go further and open our minds to innovative ways in which we can engage with patients, with management, with staff and with local communities

As part of that the key to "local" vs "specialist", is to see healthcare from a patients perspective – the "patients journey" as it used to be called – so that we don’t just look at the most efficient way of organising, but at the service design which best meets patient expectations

For example, we should ensure that GP and other community health services are open and accessible at the times which reflect how our people work and live.

We also need to include the NHS in our broader political thinking. For example, what is the sustainability agenda for the NHS?

Conference, we should be proud of what we have already achieved to promote health and well being in our communities

We must be determined to coordinate all aspects of our political agenda to deliver "best health" for all our people

We should be confident that our values of social justice, opportunity and equality will ensure that we are the only movement able to maintain and develop a Health Service that meets the real needs the people of Scotland and that we can again earn the trust of our people to deliver exactly that.