Free personal care. 

Those towards the end of their lives deserve the best possible care. Liberal Democrats will provide free personal care for elderly people and people with disabilities, for as long as they need it, funded out of our new 50 per cent rate on that part of people’s incomes over £100,000. In short, we will implement the recommendations of the independent Royal Commission on Long-Term Care. Liberal Democrats in government in Scotland have already achieved this for elderly people.

Cut unfair charges – free eye and dental checks, fewer prescription charges. 

To reduce the risk of illness going undetected we will end the charges for eye and dental check-ups which deter people from coming forward for testing. It is also unfair that some people living with long-term conditions pay no prescription charges, while people with other, equally serious, conditions (such as cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis) have to pay. We will extend the range of long-term conditions which qualify for exemption from prescription charges, based on an independent review.

Put patients first – more doctors and nurses, free from Whitehall meddling. 

We will complete NHS plans to recruit at least an extra 8,000 more doctors, 12,000 more nurses and 18,000 more therapists and scientists by 2008. That will cut waiting times and improve the quality of care. Doctors, nurses and therapists are highly trained and dedicated health professionals, while ministers and civil servants are not. Liberal Democrats will hack away the red tape and abolish the absurd targets set by government, and free frustrated health professionals from demoralising government meddling. Clinical decisions should be taken by health professionals and local investment will be determined by locally elected and accountable people who can be removed by local people if they get it wrong. Scrapping unnecessary centralised targets will mean that your local hospital will have the time and flexibility to put patients first, providing personalised care and cleaner hospitals and treating the sickest the quickest.

Link to full Manifesto