Lib Dem Conference: Call for all-party effort to save NHS

Conditions in hospitals are bound to worsen this winter as a deficit in the health service deepens, the Liberal Democrat conference was told yesterday.

Simon Hughes, the party's health spokesman suggested the overspend could rise to pounds 800m this year from around pounds 700m last year. He called for health professionals, Tories and Labour Party members to join a standing conference aimed at finding solutions to the crisis.

Although other estimates put lower figures on the short- fall - the NHS Confederation suggested it might be pounds 600m to pounds 700m - Mr Hughes said only collaboration could solve it.

"There is one coalition that the British people want politicians to sign up to now. A coalition to secure the future of the NHS," he said, referring to reports that Liberal Democrats might be moving towards a pact with Labour.

Dr Evan Harris, another member of the party's health team, said Labour has missed opportunities to put an extra pounds 700m into the health service since the election. Putting the proceeds of the abolition of subsidies on private health insurance into the health service along with extra tobacco taxes would have saved more than pounds 300m, he said.

Plans to charge tuition fees would drain money from the service in bursaries.

An outbreak of flu or a spell of cold weather would cause more problems for hospitals this winter, he said.

"Are our hospitals forced to count on sudden global warming? Or is the Labour party navigating this country's health service up a creek and throwing out the paddle," he asked.