We won’t put our NHS in jeopardy

This was not a procedure which had been funded before in Essex as it was a new technology, brought here by an American healthcare provider. Now it is here, the expertise can be shared throughout the NHS to the benefit of patients up and down the country. 

Were we to stop this sort of practice, we would be left with the situation where families would have to raise money to send people to the US for treatment, just as we have with children requiring Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy.

I raise this as I have received many representations regarding TTIP, the EU/US trade deal, and the suggestion that the NHS be exempt. It is my firm belief that this would be bad for the nation’s health.

The NHS provides treatment free of charge for people who need it. But it can only provide what it is capable of delivering. Without the expertise which can be gained from international co-operation, we will not be able to share in the advantages of medical advancement.

The NHS has been purchasing services from private providers since its inception.  

Indeed, most GP practices are private. They always have been. It simply isn’t the case that the NHS is being sold off, as some campaigners have suggested.  

Why would I, or anyone in this Government, do anything to jeopardise the NHS?

We use it as much as anyone else. Our focus is on delivering a health service with high standards of care and the best outcomes for patients. I do question the motives of those campaigners who suggest otherwise. 

The truth is we want the NHS to be the best it can be.

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