"I have a child who's not too well, so I've seen a lot of the NHS from the inside. In fact, in the last three years, I've probably spent more time in NHS hospitals than any politician apart from the few doctors in the House of Commons. I've spent the night in A&E departments and slept at my child's bedside. I've got to know the people who dedicate their lives to helping others. I've met so many miracle workers who are the real jewels in the NHS crown. Not just consultants, doctors and nurses but all the unsung heroes, too. Porters, cleaners, and the army of voluntary workers who give their time and energy so unselfishly ... I want us to leave no one in any doubt about how we feel about the NHS today. We believe in it. We want to improve it. We want to improve it for everyone."
Speech to the Kings Fund, January 2006
"The NHS is vitally important to every family in this country. It certainly is to mine. When your family relies on the NHS all the time – day after day, night after night – you know how precious it is. So for me it's not just a question of saying the NHS is safe in my hands. My family is so often in the hands of the NHS. So I want them to be safe there."
Party conference, Bournemouth, October 2006
"You could spend your life booking and rebooking appointments. You come to hate the system. Every week there's something. Last night, Ivan had fits for an hour. Extreme epilepsy is very chaotic ... You know that children like Ivan never make it to old age. You live by the day. But he doesn't want to give up. This little person just wants to keep going."
Interview in the Daily Telegraph, September 2008
"We're lucky because we can afford extra care, and we do get lots of help from social services. There are some people who are angels when they have disabled children and they can give up everything. I'm not an angel. I feel I'm better being a working dad than trying to pretend I can be a full-time carer."
Interview in the Daily Telegraph, October 2005
"They're not just drivers, they're carers, helpers and friends to all those whose lives they make easier."
January 2006, on the ambulance drivers who took Ivan to a day care centre in Kensington. Both were later made redundant when the local primary care trust closed the centre
"It's the most appalling shock, because there are all the wonders of the baby being born, and everything is so exciting, and suddenly this news hits you like a freight train ... I was tremendously knocked back. Still am ... But you do get over that, because he's wonderful ... You learn to adjust."
Interview in the Guardian, September 2005
"Let's be straight about what's happened to our NHS. The nurses and doctors are disillusioned, frustrated, angry and demoralised. I know from personal experience just how brilliant and dedicated the people who work in the NHS are. But they have been terribly, terribly let down. I'm afraid Labour have had their chance to show they can be trusted with the NHS, and they have failed. We are the party of the NHS in Britain today and under my leadership that is how it is going to stay."
Party conference, October 2008