Cameron: NHS target culture is risking lives

David Cameron today warned that Labour's "tickbox" culture is putting the health of patients at risk.

The Tory leader's first speech on the NHS since the death of his son Ivan called for an overhaul of the service.

His attack on Gordon Brown is seen by insiders as an attempt to re-establish health as a battleground before the general election. It comes weeks after Health Secretary Alan Johnson was accused of keeping quiet about the NHS to avoid bad publicity.

It also follows one of the country's worst hospital scandals. The Healthcare Commission reported last month that 400 more patients than expected had died at Stafford hospital and blamed bosses for focusing on targets.

On a visit to the hospital, Mr Cameron said today: "With their targets and bureaucratic control, Labour have actually created a system that forces NHS staff to follow rules that can actively cause harm to the health of patients."

He called for a public inquiry into the failings at Stafford and for an end to government NHS targets.

Mr Cameron's son Ivan, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy, died in February.