Hague: Free NHS must remain

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, has said the NHS must remain free at the point of use and not become at the mercy of the private sector.

Mr Hague, who once led the Conservative Party, said he favoured private sector involvement in the NHS, but so long as it was on the terms of the health service.

He told Sky News that it is “vital” to have a national health service.

“That health service can, of course, buy in the services of other organisations provided they are of NHS standards and NHS costs,” he added.

Mr Hague concluded by saying that he did not want to see people paying for their own health care or see taxpayers subsidise other to receive treatment outside the NHS.

The Liberal Democrats, however, have attacked the Conservative Party’s record on NHS issues, claiming that the party had voted against investment in the NHS.

In addition, it was claimed that the Tories cut NHS expenditure by 0.2 per cent in real terms during their last year in office.