Over Labour's 11 years in government, substantial and sustained investment in the NHS backed by vital reforms have transformed the service. 80,000 more nurses and 38,000 more doctors have helped to drive up standards and drive down waits. Waiting lists, which went up by over 400,000 under the Tories, have fallen by 607,000 and waiting times are now at their lowest level since records began. The premature mortality rate for cancer is the lowest ever recorded, saving nearly 9,000 lives in 2006 compared to 1996. And premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases has dropped by more than 40 per cent since 1996, saving nearly 31,000 lives a year. New services, like NHS direct, commuter walk-in centres and health centres, are making the NHS more accessible to patients.

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