Chris Mole MP today backed voteNHS.com, Labour’s health campaign and pledged to take the fight on healthcare in Ipswich to Conservative candidate Ben Gummer.

Labour’s “Target Cancer” campaign aims to save up to 10,000 lives by backing a pledge to create a new NHS guarantee of cancer diagnosis within one week of GP referral, allowing patients to be tested and told their results in just seven days.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP and Chris Mole MP have challenged the Conservatives to reverse their policy of scrapping all NHS targets and patient guarantees, and to match Labour’s one-week cancer diagnosis guarantee. Chris has challenged Ben Gummer to back the campaign if he is serious about improving healthcare for people in Ipswich.

Chris said:

“I support giving patients guarantees not gambles.  People in Ipswich face a big choice on the NHS at the General Election. Between our NHS going forward with Labour, with guarantees for patients backed up by law.

“Or our NHS going backwards with Tory gambles, that could leave patients with fewer rights and worse treatment.

“If Ben Gummer is serious about improving healthcare in Ipswich he should shake off David Cameron’s web of control and back the Target Cancer campaign.”

Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Health Secretary said:

“Some things are too important to be left to chance, and cancer is one of them. It's no exaggeration to say that with this disease, every day counts and cancer diagnosis should not be left to a local lottery.

“That’s why I am proud to say that with Labour, every NHS patient will have guaranteed access to diagnostic tests for cancer and crucially, their results, within just one week of seeing their doctor. If we do this, we know up to 10,000 lives a year could be saved.

“I am challenging Andrew Lansley and the Tories to drop their dogmatic opposition to our two-week cancer pledge, and admit that the quicker we can diagnose cancer, and ensure the same cancer guarantees for all NHS patients, the quicker we can treat it and the more lives we can save.

“And today I’m calling on everyone who agrees with me on this to sign up to my Target Cancer campaign at voteNHS.com.”