John Reid

John Reid has set out his personal manifesto for extending choice in the NHS.

The health secretary sought to confirm his position as one of the Cabinet's leading Blairites by calling for greater patient control over where and when they receive their treatment.

His language contrasted with that of chancellor Gordon Brown, who has said that in health the consumer is not "sovereign".

In a pamphlet published by the Social Market Foundation, Reid argues for a decentralised, personalised but publicly owned and funded health service committed to patient preference and the extension of choice.

He says that the commitment to a service free at the point of use marks the dividing line between Labour and the Conservatives.

In a speech to mark the publication, Reid rejected the argument that choice is a right-wing value, and that choice only functions in a market where there are private transactions.

"Since, in each generation, working people’s ambitions increase, it is my belief that they should be met; where these new needs and ambitions clash with the old systems of delivery, it is my belief that these needs and ambitions should take precedence over the old system of delivery," he said.

Reid expanded on the arguments he first set out in a speech to the 2003 Labour conference, where he backed foundation hospitals as a way to extend to the poor choices which had previously been the preserve of the wealthy.

By extending choice to the NHS, he argues, the government is empowering all patients irrespective of their wealth.

"Given the medical and other differences between us all, the modern NHS has to recognise that one size does not - and never can - fit all," Reid said.

"To help the NHS work differently for each of us, the new NHS must be a system where patients are better informed about, and in better control of both their health service and their health.

"Patients will, in the NHS be given, the right to choose the treatment option most convenient to them. And increased NHS capacity will make that possible for all, not just for the few."