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Government plans on long term conditions will come as "cold comfort"
January 5, 2005 12:00 AM
Government plans to overhaul the system of care for people suffering from long-term conditions like asthma and diabetes will come as cold comfort, the Liberal Democrats said today.
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:
"For the millions of people in this country who live their lives with long-term medical conditions this announcement will come as cold comfort. A whole Parliament has passed and we are still waiting for the Government to change the way the NHS works so that it fits around peoples' lives rather than forcing them to fit their lives around the NHS.
"Health Ministers have demonstrated yet again their obsession with micromanaging the NHS with their proposals for community matrons. In most cases these will be existing nurses simply with a new label. But Ministers have failed to address the underlying shortages of staff, particularly amongst community nurses.
"It is welcome that after eight years, Health Ministers have finally acknowledged that the NHS is not just about one-off treatments and operations but also can make a huge difference to the lives of people living with long-term illness and disability. But what NHS staff need is more freedom and flexibility to be able to innovate and tailor services to fit the needs of individual patients."
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