Liberal Democrats pledge to put patients' interests ahead of Government targets

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 1st May 2005

The Liberal Democrats today pledged to scrap Labour's political targets and allow greater freedom for NHS staff to put patients' interests first. This will allow doctors and nurses to use their clinical judgment to cut hidden waiting lists, deliver quality individual patient care, and improve infection control.

The Liberal Democrats also published "Now Wash Your Hands", a new survey of hospital infection control teams, which shows:

· More than 8 in 10 teams said that targets have a negative impact on their efforts to control hospital infections;

· Over half believe that bed occupancy in their hospital is far too high;

· Nearly a third lack confidence in Labour's strategy to combat the spread of hospital infections,

· Three quarters report that their hospital doesn't have enough isolation facilities or single rooms.

Commenting, Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:

"The Liberal Democrats will always put patients first. We want to create a modern, efficient and effective health service that is properly staffed and securely funded.

"Doctors and nurses need freedom to use their clinical judgment and common sense to deliver good quality individual patient care - and not be overruled by Labour's political priorities.

"Scrapping targets is not the same as abandoning standards. But healthcare is far too complex to be boiled down into a set of conveniently eye-catching targets which distort good medical practice."

On MRSA, Mr Burstow added:

"The Government has failed to get a grip on the problem. Every year the equivalent of seven and half district general sized hospitals are filled by people who pick up an infection during their stay.

"It is hard to keep a hospital clean, and harder still to combat these infections. The NHS need the support and freedom to tackle infections, not political attacks.

"Hospital infections were not conjured into existence in 1997. No matter how convenient that idea might be to Michael Howard's General Election campaign, it simply is not true.

"Under the Conservatives the NHS was in the dark about the true scale of hospital acquired infections. From the voluntary reporting scheme we know that rates shot up under the Tories. This is the same party that presided over record waiting lists, the lowest ever number of new nurses entering the profession by the end of its term in office, and a 47% reduction in available hospital beds."

Baroness Liz Barker, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson in the House of Lords, said:

"Patients deserve high standards, but political targets are not the answer. We would develop evidence-based standards with the independent Healthcare Commission, in consultation with frontline staff and patients.

"This Labour Government is obsessed with headline statistics and numbers. The Liberal Democrats would free frontline staff to get on with the job of using their judgment and training to put patients first."