Julian Ware-Lane backs Labour’s plans for 20,000 extra nurses

Julian Ware-Lane, Labour candidate for Southend West has backed Labour’s plans to recruit 20,000 more nurses by 2020, including 1,800 in the East of England.

Under this government, nurse numbers have failed to keep pace with demand while more than half of nurses say their ward is dangerously understaffed.

Unlike the Tories, Labour will protect the NHS and ensure we have a health service ready to meet future challenges.

That’s why the next Labour government will provide these much-needed extra nurses. They will help ensure safe staffing in hospitals and provide personalised care outside hospitals – helping us to transform services so the NHS can meet the care needs of the 21st century.

These extra nurses will be funded through the Time to Care Fund – raised from a mansion tax on properties over £2m, cracking down on tax avoidance and a new levy on tobacco firms

Julian Ware-Lane said: “Our health service is in crisis under the Tories. The NHS as we know it cannot survive another five years of David Cameron.

“If we want a world-class NHS then we need enough nurses with the time to care for patients. That’s why I’m proud that the next Labour government will bring in the Time to Care fund which will see the East of England benefit from 1,800 more nurses.

“The truth is that only Labour can save the NHS from the Tories. Our plan is a blueprint to raise standards of care and ensure our health service is sustainable in the 21st century.”

Andy Burnham, Shadow Health Secretary, said: “David Cameron has brought the NHS to the brink. There are too few staff on our wards, the bill for agency nurses is out of control and hospitals are forced to travel overseas to recruit nurses because of Cameron’s cuts to nurse training places.

“This cannot carry on. Labour will recruit more nurses in every region of England including 1,800 in the East of England. We want this new generation of nurses to be home-grown and will offer young people a new ladder into the NHS.

“This will help build an NHS with time to care, that starts in people’s homes, ends the scandal of 15-minute visits and helps keep people out of hospital.”