Labour's NHS pledge 'needs more money' if it will work

Health campaigners and doctors insisted more money was needed if the Government was to succeed in meeting its ambitious pledges to improve NHS services in the community. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said a new generation of modern, NHS community hospitals would be created in efforts to provide more care to patients closer to home.

And she said that access to GPs at times convenient to patients would also be improved, as well as more support for carers and "Life Checks" to keep an eye on the health of the nation.

But the idea of letting patients register with two GPs - one near home and one near where their work - has been ruled out after being branded "difficult and costly".

In areas which are under-served by GPs and primary care services, private providers could be brought in to make sure people's needs are met.

But many questioned how the NHS would be able to financially meet the plans set out in the community services White Paper, especially since the health service already faces mounting deficits running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said extra resources would be needed to deliver commitments such as longer opening hours for GP surgeries.

The charity Age Concern said it was hard to see how the Government would realise its vision without committing extra money.

Ms Hewitt said the NHS would see substantial funding increases over the next couple of years which would help fund services.

And she denied that moving more treatment out of hospitals and into the community would make their deficit problems worse as money would follow the patient to primary rather than secondary care.

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