Tom Richmond: Realities behind the pre-election free-for-all

Having promised "free" home care for the elderly – a plan described as "unaffordable" by Lord Warner, a distinguished former health

minister – all 1.6 million people who have or have had cancer are to be offered "free" one-to-one care from a personal nurse.

It's a political sleight of hand that has become the Prime Minister's trademark. Of course, these services are not "free". They still have to be paid for out of new or existing budgets. And, at the end of the day, the long-suffering taxpayer still has to sign the cheque.

All Brown is trying to do is portray the Tories in a harsh electoral light when they question – legitimately – whether these plans are sustainable in the present financial climate.

Yet the political spat that broke out over the cancer plan missed a far more fundamental objective.

Of course, patients want the best possible care going. That goes

without saying. And, for many with a less virulent form of the disease, home treatment may be far more preferable – and convenient – to traipsing to hospital.

However, from my own experiences of the NHS, the number one priority of patients is continuity of care. Ideally, they want to be seen by the same doctor – or staff who work for the consultant concerned. They don't want to see a different face every time they go to hospital or receive a home visit. This simply leaves too much to chance.

Yet, according to a doctor of my acquaintance, this is precisely what will happen if Brown's home visit plan goes ahead in its present format. A different nurse will visit a cancer patient for each home appointment.

Is that really in the best interests of patients, the NHS and the wider economy?

TALKING of health matters, the Government has spent millions on introducing the "choose and book" system to the NHS as part of its

choice agenda.

A friend in Leeds recently received a letter in connection with an outpatient appointment inviting her to go online to choose and book her appointment.

The letter set out the choice of clinics – there was only one. It was similar to the "no choice" missive I received a year ago (which I was told at the time was an "exception" to the rule).

And when she went online, the system crashed so she could not make the appointment anyway. Her experience of choose and book – you can't

choose and you can't book. Does anyone still believe there isn't waste to be cut from the public services?

IN criticising Ministers for attempting to rush through legislation to prevent bank accounts to suspected terrorists being unfrozen following

a Supreme Court ruling, former Tory Minister Douglas Hogg described the Government as "arrogant, uncaring, undemocratic and smug".

Hogg obviously knows the meaning of these words. He's the MP whose moat-cleaning costs angered so many during the expenses scandal. Also known as Viscount Hailsham, he included bills for a "mole man", the cost of running his housekeeper's car and a 31 call-out to have bees removed.

Hogg says he cannot wait for the General Election (when he will stand down). Nor can those voters who know they will be better off without such individuals.

FORMER Prime Minister Sir John Major was in nostalgic mood at this

week's book launch, Choose Your Weapons, about foreign secretaries

which has been written by Douglas Hurd, the Tory grandee, and York history scholar Edward Young.

He says his 94-day tenureship of the Foreign Office is now regarded as "a golden age". "We were at war with no one. There was not a sniff of dodgy dossiers. And there was not a single occasion when I

overturned legal advice," said Sir John, with reference to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

THE Tories are clearly taking no chances with Halifax – one of

their "must win" election seats. One individual has, so far, received seven Vote Conservative letters.

Meanwhile, Philip Allott tells me that he's received three missives imploring him to vote for David Cameron, and he's the Tory candidate hoping to be elected.

TALKING of the Conservative campaign, it's been very well co-ordinated locally with the Vote for Change theme prominent.

Except, that is, in Wakefield where Tory candidate Alex Story was a

curious absentee at last week's media reception.

His website, I note, has little official branding. I can only presume he's still persona non grata because he's too Europsceptic for Tory liking. And that takes some doing.

NOW to Pudsey where Labour candidate Jamie Hanley has now matched Tory candidate Stuart Andrews with two letters to constituents inside six days.

His first letter contained five mentions of David Cameron. The latest affords Cameron two namechecks – but alas neither contains any reference to Gordon Brown.

If Hanley holds Pudsey for Labour, there's every prospect Brown will

still be PM. Presumably, Hanley doesn't fancy a job in the Downing Street bunker because he's heard about his leader's temper tantrums.

Am I right, Jamie?