ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

That this House notes the immense value of the National Health Service since its launch on 5 July 1948; reaffirms its belief in the founding principles of the NHS, that it should meet the needs of all who need it and should be free at the point of use; acknowledges that the NHS is experiencing severe financial pressures; also acknowledges that the NHS faces a real challenge in delivering services locally while at the same time remaining a national structure; believes that the future of the NHS, how it is run and funded, are issues of huge national importance; further believes that these issues are not well served by party politics and are undermined by electioneering that oversimplifies the challenges and solutions; urgently calls for a Royal Commission to be appointed and set up as soon as possible after the forthcoming General Election with the remit of considering how best to fund and structure the NHS; further calls on all parties and the next Government to sign up to implement the findings of the Royal Commission; and further believes that in the longer run this would help deliver a sustainable NHS that properly delivers health services on an ongoing basis.