Milburn highlights NHS priorities

The government’s agenda for the NHS was set out this week,
by health secretary Alan Milburn in a speech to the British
Association of Medical Managers in Liverpool.

Milburn stated that higher standards of care would be delivered
through changes in the NHS and new structures like primary care
trusts and the Commission for Health Improvement.

The secretary of state set out four key areas for progress:
firstly, conditions with the greatest clinical priority including
cancer, heart disease and services for older people with mental
illness; increasing in the number of GPs; more investment in
ambulance services and reducing waiting times for treatment.

Milburn confirmed the government would be abandoning waiting
lists targets.