Tackling the challenges facing the NHS is one of my highest priorities as an MP, because it is not acceptable that after fourteen years of cuts and mismanagement so many in our community have been left struggling to get a GP appointment, waiting hours for an ambulance, or stuck on an NHS waiting list. That chaos is costing lives and leaving people in pain, and I am resolutely committed to bringing a stop to it.
We need better services in Thanet. That’s why I am backing the creation of a new NHS health hub in Broadstairs, which will include a GP surgery and same-day access to primary care, community services, district nursing and children’s services, an MRI scanner, and voluntary sector services from Age UK – all under one roof.
Last October, the Chancellor announced a huge funding increase for the NHS – the largest since Labour were last in government outside of the pandemic. That funding of £22bn extra for frontline services and another £3bn for new equipment and buildings is a huge downpayment on getting our health service back on its feet after years of underinvestment and underfunding.
As a result of that funding, in North Warwickshire and Bedworth four GP surgeries are being expanded to create new treatment rooms and ease pressure in the system. I am also delighted that the government is investing £900 million in ending the 8am scramble for GP appointments and ensuring that anyone who wants a face-to-face appointment can get one. We have also frozen prescription charges, keeping them below £10 each and saving patients £18 million next year.
But anyone who has used the NHS recently knows that money alone can’t solve the problems that have built up in recent years. That’s why the government launched a national consultation on the future of the NHS last year, to gather the public’s views on how they think the NHS needs to change.
Since then, the government has embarked on a huge reform programme to cut waste and bureaucracy in the NHS. Over the next two years the NHS will be brought back under the control of the Department of Health, enabling us to reduce the number of unnecessary management roles and saving the taxpayer an estimated £500 million per year, which will be ploughed back into frontline services instead.
In recent months we have seen some welcome signs that our plan to turn around the NHS is working – waiting lists have now been falling for six months in a row, three million additional appointments have been delivered, and our target of recruiting 1,500 GPs has been met early. But I know there is so much more to do, which is why I will continue pushing hard to support the government to go even further and faster when it comes to turning our NHS around.
I believe strongly in the NHS, and I will never give in to those like Nigel Farage who want to force people to pay to use it. So please rest assured I will always stand up for an NHS that is there for all of us when we need it, free at the point of use.