Paul Kenny, the leader of the GMB union, says the message is clear: "if you value the NHS, support Labour." TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady is of the view that Ed Miliband spoke to the "real problems and worries of working people" - notably jobs, living standards, homes and the NHS. It's a policy agenda that will reconnect politics to voters, he concludes.

The once-packed hall now stands all but deserted. The delegates will be back tomorrow for the final business of the conference.

Paul Mason tweets:, external Okay so Miliband not exactly Nye Bevan in the rhetoric dept… but NHS pledge big, real and new; elected Senate & 16 y.o. votes also… labour market reforms i.e. self-employed are macro policy; aim is to turn employment growth into wage growth... nothing really said on deficit; nothing on national security - at times sounded like Cabinet Office not Downing St agenda

For Unite leader Len McCluskey, Ed Miliband's speech was "visionary" and set out a clear programme for protecting public services, in particular the NHS. "That is the message that will win Labour the election. We will see much more detail in the coming months and the British people will see a stark difference between a government for the many as opposed to a government for the rich," he says. Meanwhile, Unison leader Dave Prentis says no-one will now be in any doubt about what a Labour government would do in power: "He answered the questions about what he will do to help the young and unemployed, tackle housing and low pay and save the NHS."

David Read: Did I miss the bit about immigration, or isn't that an important enough topic?

Ed Miliband's promise to recruit more doctors, nurses, midwives and care workers if he wins the next election has been welcomed by the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr Peter Carter. He says investing in nursing is "absolutely necessary, whoever wins the next election". It's also gone down well with the Royal College of Midwives, whose chief executive Cathy Warwick says it shows that Labour has "listened" and "understand the value of midwives and the maternity team".

Chris, Cheltenham: It's not unlike a bad stand up show. Lots of meaningless anecdotes and sound bites, but everybody knows better than to take him at his word.

The main political message from Ed Miliband was that Labour is the party of the NHS. The announcement on extra funding formed the centrepiece of his speech. There'll be an extra £2.5bn, mainly to pay for extra staff, he said, promising the money would be raised by getting more cash from corporate tax avoiders, people living in expensive properties and tobacco firms.

The key policy message from Ed Miliband today was that he has a 10-year plan for the UK. And he has six goals: 1) Raise the national minimum wage. 2) Break up banks and take power from Whitehall. 3) Create a million more "green" jobs. 4) Create more apprenticeships for school leavers. 5) Build more homes. 6) "Save" the NHS.

Richard Walker: Instead of taxing the wealth creators out of house and home, we need to encourage ambitious people to build businesses and export our way to a stronger and more secure economy.

Brian Wheeler, political reporter

The party faithful went away happy, as they always do when their leader speaks. But they were not as ecstatic as some conference audiences I have seen at the final rally before a general election. "That was the speech of a future prime minister," said one delegate from Wales. "Now he has to deliver." His friend said: "It was good, but why can't we have the pay rise for low-paid workers now? Why wait five years?" There were a few drooping eyelids in the hall during the first section of the speech, as Mr Miliband told anecdotes about people he had met, but the crowd woke up when he began attacking David Cameron and promising more jobs for the NHS. By my count, the Labour leader got a total of 70 rounds of applause, 15 laughs, 13 cheers and five standing ovations - two in response to his pledges on the NHS, one for a crack about Mr Cameron pandering to UKIP and, perhaps the biggest reaction of all, when he attacked the Daily Mail for saying his father "hated Britain". The final one came at the end of his address.

In his speech, Ed Miliband mentioned several people he'd met on his travels. Among them were Elizabeth, Josephine, Colin and, of course, Gareth. Why does he love such anecdotes so much? Well, he's not alone among politicians, according to this feature by the BBC's Justin Parkinson.

Justin Pearce in Portsmouth: I have been a Labour supporter since the miners' strike and I have never been so disillusioned with the shadow party. I work for an energy supplier and my wife is a nurse. We have never been so poor and it seems that the Labour Party are still trying to keep the big business and banking sector happy while not really helping the poor.

Why didn't Labour go after tax avoiders when the party was in power? A question from the BBC's Andrew Neil to shadow health secretary Andy Burnham. He replies that there's much greater awareness of the international loopholes used by corporations. And it is right for politicians to respond, he adds.

In all the hubbub, we forgot to mention that Ed Miliband's speech lasted only about 65 minutes - a quarter of an hour less than promised.

tweets:, external Apprentice namechecked by Ed in speech asked if she'll vote Labour by LBC: I'll keep an open mind

David Blunkett says Ed Miliband has "reached out" and had a conversation with the public. The former cabinet minister is asked how it compared to Tony Blair's powerful conference speech in 1996 - before he led Labour to victory the following year. Mr Blunkett tells Sky News it was not a "1996 moment". But that is because of the enormous challenges currently facing the world. A tub-thumping speech would not be believed now, he adds.

tweets:, external Audience for Ed Miliband's speech being given this handy summary as they leave the hall at #LAB14. See photo, external

tweets:, external Ed Miliband didn't mention the deficit once. Extraordinary. If you can't fix the economy you can't fund the NHS

Asked by the Daily Politics why Ed Miliband did not mention the economy during his speech, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham retorts: "You're joking?!"