Rely on the NHS

A while ago, I responded to an email from the Labour Party, asking for members to share their cancer stories. As you may know, I owe my life to the NHS - without the speedy intervention, surgery and chemotherapy I received, I would not be here now, my children would be without their mother and my husband would be without his wife. 

The two-week cancer care guarantee is vital to ensure that as many people as possible can fight cancer and beat it. Early detection gives the best chance of this and is an essential part of the process. Any cancer patient will tell you, the worst part is waiting, not knowing whether you have a life-threatening disease and worrying about the future for your children and family. The two-week cancer care guarantee means that this time is cut to a minimum.

Tory front-bencher Philip Hammond has claimed that the Conservatives also support the guarantee but this is in complete contradiction to the Conservative pledge to abolish all government-imposed clinical targets. Making a pie-crust promise is not what is needed in the fight against cancer, patient care demands targets for the detection and treatment of this cruel and indiscriminate disease. Labour want to make it a legal right for a patient to be given a specialist referral within two-weeks. Yet again this demonstrates which party can be trusted with our National Health Service - a service that Labour had to rebuild after 18-years of Tory abuse, of ward closures, neglected hospital facilities and a crumbling infrastructure.  Time and time again, the likes of Dan Hannan show the Conservative Party's true colours, the reality behind Cameron's 'party-of-the-people' facade. The simple truth is that the Tories cannot be trusted to protect the NHS and ensure it continues to provide healthcare to all, irrespective of wealth or ability to pay: free at the point of need.

The #WeLoveTheNHS trend was a fantastic example of just how much support there is for our National Health Service and an indication of the power of Twitter. This campaign, Rely on the NHS, #relyontheNHS, is an important demonstration of how much we value the care that the NHS provides. 

I am here for my family because I could Rely on the NHS. You can too, let's make sure it stays that way.  I urge you to please support this campaign and let as many people as possible know about the Two-Week Cancer Care Guarantee. Join us, Fight for the NHS and please sign the petition here:  www.relyonthenhs.co.uk 

(My own story is briefly detailed in the original blog I wrote, here, if you are interested)