Good for your health?

Medicine has become target-orientated and almost business-like. What will your party do to reverse this trend and make medicine more about the patient?

Mike Evemy (Lib Dem)

"Liberal Democrats will put patients first, not targets first.

"We will complete NHS plans to recruit 8,000 more doctors, 12,000 more nurses and 18,000 more scientists and therapists by 2008.

"Liberal Democrats will hack away the red tape and abolish the absurd targets set by government."

Andy Newman (Socialist Unity)

"When sensibly used, targets are a useful tool for extending equality of health care provision, and making cost effective use of resources, but patient needs must come first.

"I was heavily involved in the community campaign that recently saved Malmesbury maternity hospital, which provides a quite different service from the GWH, so we have defended choice.

"It had been decided that the unit should close because it was too expensive, but many Swindon women love the friendly midwife-led service it provides and we showed it could be cost effective if promoted properly. Unfortunately, accountants think only about short term financial targets."

Ernie Reynolds (Ind)

"Drug companies target research toward perceived public and professional demand often generated by literature originating from such companies.

"Their policies and practices too often include development and production for profit that satisfies investment plus highest percentage attainable.

"Without such policies the criteria would be for the healthiest nation possible for their benefit as well as that of patients."

Robin Tingey (UKIP)

"UKIP will scrap strategic health authorities and performance targets and return hospital control tolocal boards.

"Return the 'matron' system of day to day management."

Justin Tomlinson (Con), pictured below left,

"A patient-centred approach is at the very heart of Conservative policy.

"Labour's 'top down' approach is no longer appropriate. Labour's centralised targets are stifling local initiative in health. We will change this.

"Our Right to Choose will give everyone power over where and when they are treated, putting the patient before pointless targets."

Michael Wills (Lab)

"Medicine must always put the patient first. Clinical need must be the priority not ability to pay.

"Targets were introduced to raise performance and enable patients to judge progress in the NHS. Hard work by staff to meet these targets and record investment has delivered results falling waiting times, reduced mortality for heart disease and cancer. So targets are now being reduced from 62 to 20."

People can go into hospital with a minor problem and come out with MRSA. Where do you put the blame for this and what would you do about it?

Mike Evemy (Lib Dem)

"It is easy to blame others for the scourge of drug resistant bugs such as MRSA. But their virulence is growing across the world.

"However, the decision to contract out cleaning services made by the Conservatives in the 1980s and followed up by Labour's PFI schemes have separated the responsibility for healing from that for cleanliness.

"We must redouble efforts to combat these bugs."

Andy Newman (Socialist Unity)

"MRSA may be linked to the use of cost-cutting, private cleaning contractors in hospitals: I would bring cleaning back in-house under NHS management.

"We must follow best clinical advice from the health professionals to beat MRSA, however expensive."

Ernie Reynolds (Ind)

"When the Great Western Hospital was in development, planning and committee stages I approached the committee manager. I suggested that along with the GW Hospital a further specialist staff-attended hospital, located at the now Windmill Industrial estate, kept in pristine condition and linked to GW Hospital by tunnel running parallel to the M4, obviating traffic problems, be built and used exclusively by specialist ambulances to specifically care for patients having major intrusive surgery where the risk of infection is greatest and the transfer even of other cases where MRSA is either evident or suspected.

"Needless to say financial considerations got in the way and I did not make it to the boardroom.

"This approach could and should be adopted countrywide."

Robin Tingey (UKIP)

"Partly this is down to poor management such as bed occupancy targets that may mean that on occasion a bed hasn't been cleaned between patients.

"Matrons will help tackle these kind of problems. It also has to be recognised that strains of MRSA have become more resistant to antibiotics."

Justin Tomlinson (Con)

"Last year more people died from MRSA than from road accidents, it is an issue than simply cannot be ignored. Hospitals are being hampered they are finding it difficult to make the sort of quick decision about ward closures that is necessary in order to fight infection.

"We will bring back matrons, who will have the authority to close down infected wards immediately, no longer constrained by pointless targets."

Michael Wills (Lab)

"Unlike other countries the Conservative Government did not tackle MRSA when it first appeared in the 1990s and by 1997 the situation was getting out of control.

"The Labour Government has reintroduced matrons with powers to tackle cleanliness and new techniques to identify MRSA rapidly.

"As a result, figures last month showed the lowest levels of MRSA since recording began. We will continue to drive down rates of infection."

At the moment there are lots of NHS managers who are nothing to do with medicine. Why not hand over the NHS to the doctors and nurses?

Mike Evemy (Lib Dem)

"We need doctors, nurses and other health professionals to use their skills to treat patients.

"Running multi-million pound organisations, such as the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, effectively requires specialist skills.

"NHS management is accountable to no-one other than the Secretary of State for Health.

"Liberal Democrats believe local people, with and through their elected local representatives, should make decisions about their local health services."

Andy Newman (Socialist Unity)

"Medics should be free from administrative burdens, but administrators need to be under democratic control.

"We should judge society on how healthy and happy people are, and we should put more emphasis on preventative medicine and healthy living."

Ernie Reynolds (Ind)

"Administration will always be with us and rightly so.

"Horses for courses, but also Courses for horses.

"However, the good practice, experience and intelligent foresight of doctors, nurses and all hands on staff will take pride of place."

Robin Tingey (UKIP)

"We would hand over the NHS to the doctors and nurses."

Justin Tomlinson (Con)

"The Conservatives fully support allowing doctors and nurses to be free to run the NHS. It is doctors and nurses who understand how to deliver the excellent health care we deserve, and not the meddling Labour politicians who prefer to set and chase endless pointless targets."

Michael Wills (Lab)

"The NHS is in the hands of doctors and nurses. Since 1997, Labour's investment has provided 224,000 new NHS employees. Only five per cent have been managers.

"Under Labour, the costs of administering the NHS have fallen by 20 per cent. But the NHS still needs somebody to manage it. Without effective management, doctors and nurses will be distracted from their core job of looking after patients."

Childhood obesity is a huge problem in this country and yet still people like football stars are advertising junk food. What will your party do to tackle this problem?

Mike Evemy (Lib Dem)

"Liberal Democrats will promote a healthy diet and exercise, including walking and cycling to school, for our young people.

"We would introduce minimum nutrition standards for school meals.

"We will restrict advertising of unhealthy food during children's television programmes and require vending machines in schools to sell products which meet minimum health and nutrition standards."

Andy Newman (Socialist Unity)

"I would ban advertising of foods for children that are high in fat, sugar or salt.

"We need to reintroduce nutritional standards for school meals, and provide free fruit and milk.

"Some Swindon schools don't even provide hot meals.

"We must encourage children to exercise. It was irresponsible to sell off the playing fields at Swindon's New College, and the government should ban these sales."

Ernie Reynolds (Ind)

"Answer is parallel to question one. Remove financial motives then football is played as a sport along with other sports and not as an advertising outlet.

"Football stars' principles would not be compromised. Justly rewarded, their incentive, club and national pride."

Robin Tingey (UKIP)

"UKIP does not want excessive Government interference or a nanny state.

"Government health campaigns and freedom of speech are the right way to tackle these issues."

Justin Tomlinson (Con)

"Under Labour, the amount spent on school meals per child is less than the price of a tin of cat or dog food.

"We will increase the funding for school meals, and also remove junk food from school menus, promoting healthy and balanced diets for children."

Michael Wills (Lab)

"Labour will restrict advertising and promotion of unhealthy foods. Labour is investing £280million to promote healthy eating in schools.

"Locally I am campaigning to persuade Swindon Council to use this new money now to provide healthier foods in our schools and bring back hot school meals."