Our vision of change will revitalise every aspect of our lives – better jobs, stronger communities, world-class education, an NHS built around patients
AND recruiting record numbers of Doctors and Nurses…Healthcare professionals are still unable to deliver the care they want…And patients aren’t receiving the care they deserve. So we need to recognise that something has to change. That doesn’t mean structural reforms to the NHS. We will always protect the founding principle of an NHS free at the point of use. But what it does mean is an NHS where patients are in control, with as much choice as possible.
Where we’re comfortable with the NHS using more independent capacity – if that’s what it takes to get patients quicker and better care. Where patients can access more information and data, allowing them to make more informed choices and hold services to account. And where we will no longer accept unwarranted variation in performance between trusts. Because high quality healthcare should be there for you wherever you live.
And as the NHS works with professions to develop a workforce strategy early this year, I’ve asked them to consider how we can best support Doctors, Nurses, and other healthcare professionals, like pharmacists, to work more flexibly. We all share the same objective when it comes to the NHS: to continue providing high quality, responsive healthcare for generations to come. And that’s what we are going to deliver.
Our vision of change will revitalise every aspect of our lives – better jobs, stronger communities, world-class education, an NHS built around patients.
But family is something politicians struggle to talk about because you can all too readily be pilloried for being out of touch or worse, hostile to those who don’t conform to some idealised form. We live in a world today where family can and does take many forms. But whatever your family looks like, it doesn’t matter as long as the common bond is love. We shouldn’t be shy about it: We cannot not talk about the thing that is most important in most of our lives.
Not when the evidence is clear that strong, supportive families make for more stable communities and happier individuals. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love of my family, the kindness they gave me, the sacrifices they made for me, and the values they taught me. I learnt from them the virtues of hard work and self-improvement… …the importance of treating others with respect and the value of service…of how a community relies on people going above and beyond what they are required to do. Today, it is the love of my wife and children that sustains me in the most difficult moments in this job. Family matters.
We need to support parents to manage the demands of modern workplaces without weakening the irreplaceable bonds of family life. And we’re going to roll out Family Hubs to offer parents the support they need to raise a child. Because I believe deeply that family – not just government – can help us answer the profound questions we face as a country.
When it comes to health, family cares for us when we are sick and old; family teaches us values in education; when it comes to community – family guides us in right and wrong. That’s why family runs right through our vision of a better future.
When I first spoke to you as Prime Minister, I stressed that trust was not given but earned. I hope that in these first few weeks in the job I have begun to earn your trust. And I’ve made five promises today to deliver peace of mind. We will: Halve inflation. Grow the economy. Reduce debt. Cut waiting times. And stop the boats.
But I know this is just the start of what we need to do to build a better Britain together. As well as peace of mind today, this afternoon I’ve also set out a vision for a better future for our children and grandchildren.
We’re not going to get there overnight. Or even in this Parliament. But this is the journey we are on. And despite all the challenges we face, all the anxieties that people feel, I know we can get there. Others may talk about change, I will deliver it. I won’t offer you false hope or quick fixes, but meaningful, lasting change.
I want people to feel something that they do not always feel today: A belief that public services work for them; A knowledge that if you work hard in the good times, the state will be there for you during the bad; A hope that the world will be better for their children than it was for them; A sense of belonging in the place they call home.
I guarantee that your priorities will be my priorities. I pledge that I will be honest about the challenges we face. And I will take the tough but necessary decisions to ensure our great country achieves its enormous potential. I will only promise what I can deliver. And I will deliver what I promise.
