The Conservatives will today announce their health proposals for the general election.

Michael Howard will say that a Conservative government will clean up hospitals, increase access to GPs through the night, and boost the number of dentists.

Their health manifesto also includes details on patients' "right to choose" where they are treated, which will subsidise operations in private hospitals.

"You are more likely to die of an infection you pick up in hospital than to be killed on Britain's roads," the Tory leader will say.

"We will abolish the Whitehall target culture that has spawned the superbug crisis by preventing dirty wards being closed for cleaning."

Writing in the Guardian, Howard says: "Families want the peace of mind and security of a high-quality health system that is free at the point of use.

"Those are the values of the NHS, and they are values I share."