A kinder, gentler age

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.866

BMJ 2005;330:866 (16 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.866

News

2005 UK election special

A kinder, gentler age

Nicholas Timmins, public policy editor

Financial Times

With the Liberal Democrats promising to extend free personalcare to all UK elderly people and to let local authorities commissionhealth services, Nick Timmins finds the party's approach hasa quite different feel from those of its rivals

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Voters contemplating their choice in the run up to the generalelection on 5 May—and wanting to base that decision onpolicies for the health service—could be forgiven if theythought that two different NHSs were being debated in the electioncampaign.

One battle, between the Conservatives and Labour, looks setto focus on allegations that the extra billions that have beenpoured into the NHS have been wasted, as well as focusing onwaiting lists, access, choice, and, above all, the use of theprivate sector.

The other, being fought by the Liberal Democrats, has a ratherdifferent feel. The party's headline policy is the introductionin England and Wales of the free personal care for elderly peoplethat the Scots already get. This policy would, on the LiberalDemocrats' own costings, add more than £1.5bn ($2.8bn; ${euro}$ 2.2bn) to spending next year and around £9bn over thefull life . . . [Full text of this article]