'17 million reasons’ sets out the following proposals which the partnership believes would make a significant difference to those living with a long-term condition:

-- Start right by ensuring people have rapid access to expert diagnosis and needs assessment

-- Put patients in the driving seat with proper access to information and advice to help people make the right choices to maximise their quality of life

-- Personalise services around each individual with a Care Plan to ensure people have the care they need when they need it.

’17 million reasons’ was inspired and developed through discussion and consultation with patients, patient groups, managers, clinicians and social services and calls upon politicians from all political parties to put people with long-term conditions at the heart of the health agenda.

Speaking on behalf of the partnership, David Pink, Chief Executive, of the Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance (LMCA), comments: “We have already seen waiting lists for operations successfully reduced to below 1 million, but there are over 17 million people in the UK currently living with long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, MS or cancer. The priority for all three political parties must now be to improve the lives of one third of the population. And we need a health debate that talks less about emergency care and more about what millions of people are living with day in, day out.”

Members of the partnership have already met with representatives from all political parties who have been positive in their response and receptive to the manifesto proposals. The partnership is calling upon the political parties to include the proposals in their general election manifestos.

The diverse partnership was formed following last year’s political party conferences. The organisations identified a need to work together to increase their lobbying power, to achieve the common goal of long-term conditions being given a significantly higher priority on the health agenda.

For your copy of ’17 million reasons’, please contact Chris Atkinson at the NHS Confederation on 020 7959 7240.

Notes for editors

1.The partnership is made up of the following organisations: Alzheimer’s Society; ARMA – Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Alliance; Arthritis Care; Asthma UK; Breakthrough Breast Cancer; British Society for Rheumatology; CancerBACUP; The Continence Foundation; DANDA – the Developmental Adult Neuro-Diversity Association Diabetes UK; Epilepsy Action; Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance; Macmillan Cancer Relief; MS Society; National Society for Epilepsy; New Health Network; the NHS Confederation; Parkinson’s Disease Society; Rethink; and the Stroke Association.

2. For more information, please contact Chris Atkinson at the NHS Confederation on 020 7959 7240.