The NHS in England has seen significant improvements since Labour came to power in 1997, according to a major review of the last thirteen years by independent think tank, The Kings Fund. Their report, A High Performing NHS states that improved access

The NHS in England has seen significant improvements since Labour came to power in 1997, according to a major review of the last thirteen years by independent think tank, The Kings Fund.

Their report, 'A High Performing NHS' states that improved access to primary care and significant reductions in waiting times have been the key successes since Labour came to power and significant progress has been made in the NHS between 1997 and 2010.

The review acknowledged that there was still more to do, especially in tackling obesity and alcohol related illness and improving access to out of hours GP care, but highlighted the importance of continued investment by Labour in government.

Professor Chris Ham, the new Chief Executive of The King's Fund, said: "Back in 1997, the NHS was in intensive care. As a result of investment and reform, it is now in active rehabilitation and is delivering more care to more people, more quickly."

Sharon added:

"The NHS has improved so much since 1997. At our own Lister Hospital, continued investment by the Labour government has slashed waiting lists, increased the numbers of doctors and nurses and improved the facilities so that more people than ever are getting the very best care."

Local resident, Noel Campbell agrees: "Every time I visit the Lister there is more work being done to improve it. It's so much better than 15 years ago - and you don't need to wait nearly as long for treatment. I hate to think what would happen to our hospital if the Tories got in and scrapped Labour's health guarantees. They've made a real difference to local people.