Andrew Lansley Quotes

Powerful Andrew Lansley for Daily Growth

About Andrew Lansley

Andrew Lansley (born 19 December 1953) is a British politician who has made significant contributions to the field of healthcare policy as an author, philosopher, and former member of Parliament. Lansley was born in London, England, and educated at Wellington College and Cambridge University. He began his political career in local government before being elected as Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen in 1997. Lansley's political career has been largely focused on health policy. In 2010, he served as the Secretary of State for Health under Prime Minister David Cameron, where he oversaw the controversial Health and Social Care Act, a reform that aimed to increase competition and choice within the National Health Service (NHS). The act was widely criticized for its potential to privatize healthcare, although Lansley argued it would empower patients. Prior to his role as Secretary of State, Lansley had been deeply involved in health policy, serving as Shadow Health Secretary from 2005 to 2010. His major work during this period was 'Choosing Autonomy: Individual Choice and the National Health Service' (2009), where he advocated for greater patient choice within the NHS and the use of private providers to improve efficiency. Lansley's philosophical influences are evident in his works, particularly those related to healthcare. He is a strong advocate for individual freedom, autonomy, and choice, often drawing on liberal political thought to inform his policy proposals. Despite facing criticism for some of his policies, Lansley remains a significant figure in the field of health policy and continues to be active in public life.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Health and social care reform is not just about reorganising structures, it's about improving people's lives."

This quote emphasizes that health and social care system reforms aim to fundamentally enhance people's lives beyond mere structural changes. In essence, the goal of such reforms should be to make a tangible difference in individuals' experiences, well-being, and quality of life, rather than just altering organizational structures or bureaucratic processes for their own sake.


"The purpose of health and social care reform is to give patients control over their own care."

This quote by Andrew Lansley emphasizes a vision for healthcare and social care where the primary focus is empowering patients. By "giving patients control over their own care," he intends that individuals should have increased autonomy in decisions regarding their health, well-being, and the services they receive. In essence, Lansley's perspective is to create a system where healthcare is not just delivered to patients but where they actively participate, making informed choices about their treatment plans and ultimately improving their overall healthcare experience.


"We must ensure that the NHS remains free at the point of use for all."

This quote by Andrew Lansley emphasizes the importance of preserving universal access to healthcare services, where patients do not have to pay out-of-pocket fees when seeking medical treatment. In this case, "NHS" refers to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. The principle of a free-at-the-point-of-use health system ensures equal access and removes financial barriers for individuals needing healthcare services, fostering equity and social justice.


"No decision about me without me."

The quote "No decision about me, without me" by Andrew Lotsley is a powerful statement advocating for patient and public involvement in health and social policy-making decisions that affect them directly. It emphasizes the importance of empowering individuals to have a voice in decisions concerning their own lives, promoting a more democratic and inclusive approach to policy development. The quote underscores the idea that those who are most affected by policies should be actively involved in shaping them, fostering better outcomes and ensuring greater satisfaction for all parties involved.


"By putting power in the hands of clinicians, we can drive up quality and safety."

This quote suggests that giving decision-making authority to healthcare professionals (clinicians) will lead to improvements in both the quality and safety of medical care. The underlying assumption is that those closest to patients have the best understanding of their needs and circumstances, allowing them to make informed decisions that prioritize patient welfare and outcomes. This decentralization of power can foster a more responsive, personalized approach to healthcare, and ultimately lead to better health outcomes for patients.


We have to treat smoking as a major public health issue. We have to reduce the extent to which young people start smoking, and one of the issues is the extent to which display of cigarettes and brands does draw young people into smoking in the first place.

- Andrew Lansley

Treat, Young, Extent, Brands

The culture is about moving to a place where tobacco and smoking isn't part of normal life: people don't encounter it normally, they don't see it in their big supermarkets, they don't see people smoking in public places, they don't see tobacco vending machines.

- Andrew Lansley

Big, Normal, Part, Normal Life

I have spent too long with too many people who have lost loved ones to healthcare-associated infections not to be determined to act on this. There is no tolerable level of preventable infections. The only acceptable strategy is a zero-tolerance strategy.

- Andrew Lansley

Loved Ones, Acceptable, Preventable

We must not constantly talk about tackling obesity and warning people about the negative consequences of obesity. Instead we must be positive - positive about the fun and benefits to be had from healthy living, trying to get rid of people's excuses for being obese by tackling the issue in a positive way.

- Andrew Lansley

Benefits, About, Tackling, Obese

Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour, and they are classic excuses.

- Andrew Lansley

Powerful, Classic, Social, Peer Pressure

I think we have to understand that sugar is an essential component of food; it's just that sugar in excess is an inappropriate and unhelpful diet.

- Andrew Lansley

Think, Understand, I Think, Essential

Tell people that biology and the environment cause obesity and they are offered the one thing we have to avoid: an excuse. As it is, people who see more fat people around them may themselves be more likely to gain weight.

- Andrew Lansley

Tell, Around, Cause, Gain Weight

The NHS is a national organisation, but it is best delivered locally.

- Andrew Lansley

Locally, NHS, National, Organisation

In the first speech I delivered as health secretary, I made one thing perfectly clear: we need a cultural shift in the NHS: from a culture responsive mainly to orders from the top down to one responsive to patients, in which patient safety is put first.

- Andrew Lansley

Shift, Perfectly, Delivered, NHS

Safe care saves lives and saves money. Adverse events like high levels of infection, blood clots or falls in hospital, emergency readmissions and pressure sores cost the NHS billions of pounds every year. There is a serious human cost, too, with patients ending up injured, or even dead. Most are avoidable with the right care.

- Andrew Lansley

Emergency, Year, Infection, NHS

We know, in Wales or in England - you simply can't trust Labour on the NHS. In England, we are delivering for patients while Labour just use the NHS as a political football. We won't let them; we'll always fight for the NHS.

- Andrew Lansley

Trust, Always, Delivering, NHS

You all know my commitment to the National Health Service. While I am Secretary of State, the NHS will never be fragmented, privatised or undermined. I am personally committed to an NHS which gives equal access, and excellent care.

- Andrew Lansley

Access, Secretary, While, NHS

Not reforming the NHS would have been a much easier decision for me as secretary of state to have taken. We could have just protected the NHS from cuts, put in an extra £12.5bn and left it there. But sooner or later the cracks would have started to show. New treatments would have been held back.

- Andrew Lansley

Show, Been, Held, NHS

There's a culture inside the NHS that is highly paternalistic. You know, 'We give them the service and they are grateful.' We have to move to shared decision-making.

- Andrew Lansley

Grateful, Give, Shared, NHS

Our interaction as patients with the NHS should be on the basis that there's a presumption that all information is shared with us.

- Andrew Lansley

Shared, Patients, NHS

The NHS should be proactively using substantial resources across government to intervene and try to deliver positive improvements in people's standards of living.

- Andrew Lansley

Living, Resources, Using, NHS

I'm not going to go mystery shopping in the NHS because we have a million people every day using it and rating its facilities.

- Andrew Lansley

Every Day, Going, Using, NHS

I know that nurses are not only the largest healthcare profession but are responsible for the delivery of most healthcare, and are often in the best place to be able to see the whole pathway of care.

- Andrew Lansley

Often, Profession, Largest, Nurses

Go to any hospital, you'll find wards that are run by senior nurses with matrons. The point is do they have the power, do they have the responsibility inside the hospital?

- Andrew Lansley

Run, Inside, Go, Nurses

It is in my heart that I believe most strongly that our future is within a reformed E.U. - not least because we now live in a global marketplace.

- Andrew Lansley

Within, Marketplace, Least, Reformed

I became a Conservative in the late 1980s because I could see that the Conservative party had transformed Britain's economy and our standing in the world compared to Labour in the 1980s.

- Andrew Lansley

Conservative, Could, Became, Transformed

I want to make it clear that the lobbying sector does an important job. It is very useful to the government to hear the views of a broad range of groups to make sure we get the best.

- Andrew Lansley

Want, Sure, Very, Important Job

I am not saying do not give people equal health services but do not pretend that giving more money for diabetes or chronic diseases means you are going to deal with the origins of health inequalities.

- Andrew Lansley

Give, Deal, Means, Chronic

We have had significant success in the reduction of salt in food, but it has to be understood that this can only be achieved working with the industry on a voluntary basis... and it can only be done on an incremental basis.

- Andrew Lansley

Salt, Industry, Had, Understood

If, over time, patients don't go to some services, then progressively they become less viable, so you do arrive at a point where the conclusion is: 'These are the right services for the future, and this is capacity we don't need.'

- Andrew Lansley

Some, Capacity, Point, Viable

Especially some of the poorest in our society need to have the greatest support because health inequalities are too wide.

- Andrew Lansley

Some, Inequalities, Wide, Poorest

The vast majority of people who speak to me say they have had brilliant care. When they are critical, their concern tends not to be directed at the medical side but the ancillary things that surround it, such as helping patients to eat meals, cleanliness, and making sure that when patients have a problem, they are listened to.

- Andrew Lansley

Medical, Critical, Helping, Surround

Jamie Oliver, quite rightly, was talking about trying to improve the diet of children in schools and improving school meals, but the net effect was the number of children eating school meals in many of these places didn't go up, it went down.

- Andrew Lansley

Down, Talking, About, Oliver

It is more important to engage the public positively with choice and competition to everyone than to be directed into a benefit for a minority.

- Andrew Lansley

More, Everyone, Directed, Minority

As a Coalition Government, we inherited a legacy of lack of trust and confidence in political system.

- Andrew Lansley

Trust, Legacy, Government, Inherited

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