Cllr Todd,I should think she would almost certainly have visited Stafford Hospital on a number of occasions - she is always jumping on and off trains to all parts of the country, visiting hospitals and health clinics, in her capacity as Health Minister.She has tremendous experience and expertise of our NHS system (a system which has, incidentally, come under attack from elements from within your own party, who disagree fundamentally with the concept of a system of health care which is free at the point of need) having been a nurse herself before becoming a Minister at the Department of Health.I am sure Ann Keen is as horrified as anyone about what has happened at Stafford, because the standards of care there certainly do not match the high standards of nursing that she herself displayed when she won awards for "Nurse of the Year" and "Children's Nurse of the Year" during her time in the profession.Because of her lifetime's experience of our NHS, she will no doubt have a better understanding than anyone of how to go about a root and branch reform of practices at Stafford, in order to ensure the same tragedy is not repeated.Not withstanding the poor performance at Stafford, I suspect that most impartial observers would agree that the NHS as a whole has seen at least some improvements with Labour, because waiting lists have been cut, you rarely find patients sleeping around on trollies (as under the Tories) and there has been improved access to services (such as the "Cancer Guarantee", whereby all suspected cancer patients are now seen within two weeks of referral from their GP).Of course, none of these successes will prevent some elements of your party - such as Tory MEP Daniel Hannan - from telling the Americans that "The NHS doesn't work; it makes people iller; don't go down the NHS route".
Robin Taylor ● 5910d