Applause is not a common sound for Gordon Brown, at least not when directed at him. Trials and tribulations have dogged his 2009 so far, with few stand-out triumphs to really shout about. But after his speech on the NHS this week, the prime minister savoured every clap and cheer given this rare opportunity. So is there much to cheer about or is the clapping just a show of good form from his reluctantly faithful party?
Reasons to be cheerful included the successful primary care scheme where 75% of GP practices now offer extended opening hours for patients. While Labour is likely to lose more than just a handful of GP votes due to this, given the criticism of the scheme, it is a valuable scheme from a patient perspective.
Another notable round of applause came when Brown proudly acknowledged the ‘I love the NHS’ Twitter campaign, when it was possible for users to customise their avatar to include this message (although shortly after was mysteriously banned by Twitter). His commitment not to introduce cuts to the health service echoes this sentiment. However, Brown is distinctly unlikely to be prime minister this time next year. So will it be ‘we love the NHS’ then or will it be ‘the NHS is failing – let’s start all over again’?
As you have said the future is going to be a very challenging time for the NHS. We should be hugely proud of what we have here in the UK. My hope is that the NHS doesn’t become a soft target for cuts that will affect front-line services. There has clearly got to be cost savings made to balance the budget whether it is a Brown or a Cameron government (I still think the jury is out on that one:+)). There are going to be tough choices ahead but let’s hope that the sentiment widely expressed in the ‘I love the NHS’ campaign are embedded in people’s hearts and will be enough to rouse both emotion and mobilise action to protect it.