Taxing times: Brown

Ahead of next month's budget, the chancellor has said that the NHS will get extra cash, but warned that new money must be allied to reform.

Writing in the News of the World, Gordon Brown says the April budget will be about improving the national health service.

"It is the mission of this year's budget and spending review to put the NHS on the strong financial footing it needs for the long term," he says.

"The foundation for a properly financed budget is what the budget will advance - a strong, entrepreneurial economy and tough financial discipline."

Hinting at tax increases to fund the NHS, Brown dismisses suggestions that the government should introduce a social insurance scheme similar to that used in France.

"We insure ourselves against risks - against a car accident, a fire or burglary," he says. "But the greatest risk of all is being sick and unable to pay for care.

"Under France's social insurance scheme you have to rely not just on your own taxes but on your employer paying a lot - even then you have to pay charges on top every time you visit a doctor or a hospital."

"Because of the costs of treatment are greater than ever, the risks to family finances are greater than ever. That's why most people want an improved and reformed NHS giving them the healthcare they need whenever they need it without the worries of charges or the small print of insurance policies."

The move is being seen as a strong signal that the chancellor is set to increase tax - with an increase in national insurance or the removal of the payments ceiling the most likely sources of additional revenue.

But he warns that there will be "no blank cheques" for the health service.

"We must also ensure value for money. Alan Milburn and I are determined that there must be strings attached. Investment must be matched by a better standard of service."

Staking his political reputation on delivering extra cash and improved quality of service, Brown says: "Matching the reforms and the results we require with the resources we need for the future is my greatest challenge."