The creation of a high quality, free and universal healthcare service for everyone in Britain is a great Labour legacy.

Since entering government in 1997, the Labour Party has worked to ensure that the NHS is constantly improving, saving lives and helping communities.

More investment in front Line services

There are now 44,000 more doctors, and 89,000 more nurses than in 1997. Labour has also placed more focus on community services by creating 90 new walk-in health centres, over 650 one-stop primary care centres and furthermore has pledged £750 million for the creation of a new generation of modern, convenient Community Hospitals.

The success of this investment is clear from the fact the in 2007, 33,000 more lives were saved from cardiovascular diseases than in 1996.

More operations and shorter waiting lists

There are now three million more operations carried out each year than in 1997, and double the number of heart operations. The waiting times for operations have also halved.

Since 1997 the Labour government has been committed to bringing down waiting lists and as a result, waiting times for treatment are at their lowest since records began.

Whatever your condition, you will not have to wait more than 18 weeks from a GP referral to the start of hospital treatment, and the overall number of people on waiting lists has been brought down by 600,000 since 1997.

Whereas in 1997 284,000 patients were waiting for over six months for treatment, today the average wait for inpatient treatment stands at 4.5 weeks. The Tories, however, plan to abolish targets for the reduction of waiting lists, which will risk a return to the days of long waits and a poorer quality of healthcare.

Increased choice and better information for patients

In order to allow individuals a greater degree of control over their treatment, the Labour government has introduced an online Choose and Book system. Once the patient and GP have agreed that specialist care is necessary, the patient can go to www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk and pick an appointment on a date and time that fits comfortably around their commitments, at a hospital of their choice.

Furthermore, over three quarters of GP practices have begun to offer extended opening hours for at least one evening or weekend session per week in order to allow greater access to medical assistance.

In addition, people can now visit the NHS website to read or contribute to reviews of GP surgeries. This comparison service encourages GPs to push harder to ensure the highest levels of quality healthcare for their communities.

Improved Cancer Care

The Labour government has guaranteed that anyone with suspected cancer will see a cancer specialist within two weeks, and all prescriptions for individuals receiving treatment for cancer will be completely free.

Since 1996 cancer mortality rates for under-75s have decreased by 18.2%, saving nearly 9000 more lives in 2007 than in 1996.

The government has also renewed its drive towards prevention of cancer, and has offered all teenage girls a vaccination against cervical cancer, alongside providing services to help individuals quit smoking and banning smoking in public places.

The Tories plan to undo all of the hard work Labour has put into ensuring that waiting lists are reduced by abolishing targets, and ignoring the benefits that they have brought to communities and individuals across the country.

All of the above successes demonstrate that the Labour party is committed to the NHS and dedicated to free and good quality healthcare for all.

Visit www.labour.org.uk/welovethenhs and www.twitter.com/welovethenhs

To find out about more about NHS delivery in the local area, follow this link