Ministers announce free school meal trial

Health secretary Alan Johnson has announced a pilot scheme offering free healthy school meals for all primary children.

In his speech to the Labour conference in Manchester on Wednesday, Johnson said the most daunting task facing the government is to "break the pernicious link between wealth and health".

"Tackling obesity is inextricably linked to tackling health inequalities," he said.

Universal free school meals will be tested in "at least two" local authority areas in England, while in a third area current eligibility will be extended to include more children from poor families.

The pilot scheme, which will start in September next year and run for two years, is a joint initiative of the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

The £20m cost will be split equally between the two Whitehall departments.

Ministers will invite councils to bid to be involved in the pilots.

They will then be expected to match the government funding, taking the total budget to £40m.

Johnson also hailed the work of Lord Darzi in mapping "a path towards more personalised services" in the NHS.

"Focussing remorselessly on quality and putting clinicians in greater control of their work," he said.

The health secretary set out five "main healthcare objectives" for the next decade:

·        A "radically revised" and affordable system of adult social care.

·        Ensuring "the patient is placed even closer to the centre of the NHS".

·        A "far greater emphasis on prevention".

·        A focus on good basic care, including combating hospital infections.

·        To "break the pernicious link between wealth and health".

He said: "Whilst we rightly praise Bevan we know that the NHS wasn't created by one mane, it was established by a united Labour government.

"It could never have been restored in only one parliamentary term, and it won't grow and improve if we consign its future to the Tories.

"Gordon Brown's vision and leadership has been the major factor in our success in tackling healthcare problems over the last year."

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