"I know the NHS is failing – but I was really lucky when I went in!"  How many MPs like myself are increasingly hearing this from their constituents?

I spent 25 years of my life working as a nurse in my local hospital in Crawley. So when I was first elected I was very aware of the current situation in the NHS. The number of complaints I received each week relating to waiting times in the NHS in those early days made up a significant part of my caseload. That has definitely changed.

Since 1997 few would argue that the NHS has not received the additional funding it needs. The Labour government met in full the recommendations in the Wanless report and set out an agenda for reform over the next 10 years.

But the NHS in 2004 is a massive organisation. It is the largest single employer in Europe. It covers the whole of the UK. It includes acute and community facilities, mental health, health education, dentistry and a whole range of other services and facilities.

There is no question that any sensible reform and investment package had to take a very long term view. There were never going to be any "quick fixes". Like the proverbial ocean liner it could not be turned around overnight.

And yet the ship is turning.

I know that people are sceptical of statistics, but in an organisation the size and complexity of the NHS there is no alternative to statistical information when measuring progress.

Dealing with common problems that arise, like MRSA a particular pattern of failure that emerges, is essential. The service relies on all of it's staff to do their very best which of course they do and without doubt our NHS staff are some of the best healthcare professionals in the world, but we have to recognise that medicine is not an exact science and problems will always occur.

For example, if Mrs Smith waits five hours in casualty only to have the diagnosis of her broken hip "missed" we cannot conclude that the NHS is failing. We can only conclude that the NHS failed Mrs Smith and we must deal vigorously and openly with that, learn from the mistakes and ensure that everything is done to ensure Mrs Smiths experience is not repeated. That’s why we gather information and compile statistical data.

Today, all the indicators show that the massive investment in our NHS is delivering results.

Waiting times are significantly down across the board. People no longer wait over two years for hip replacements or cataracts. Waiting times and outcomes on cancer and heart disease have improved dramatically. We are training and recruiting more nurses, doctors and therapists and the shift of services to primary care settings (where appropriate) is improving access to those services in local communities.

So why do so many people continue to think the NHS is failing? I would argue that is because all too often the media focus on anecdote without setting the context and most people (fortunately) having not had reason to be near a hospital for years, rely entirely on what they read in the press.

That is precisely why they express surprise and imagine they are lucky exceptions when they are treated quickly.

I recently met with nurses from my local trust. They were all on the leadership course and full of enthusiasm for their work and their achievements. It was their shared experience that patients express surprise with the good care they receive when in fact it is the norm. That is frustrating for them and dangerous for the NHS.

It is the government’s job to deliver the necessary funding and strategic vision for the NHS and to communicate objectively on it’s progress.

We should perhaps look at how we improve that communication, but it is also vital that our media reports the problems it identifies with objectivity and in a proper context. Otherwise I’m afraid we may be in real danger of undermining what is one of the best healthcare systems in the world.

Laura Moffatt is Labour MP for Crawley.