The NHS is deeply personal to all of us, it is where most of us started life – I was the 27,431,590th baby born on the NHS. It is also where we go when we are at our most vulnerable, we put our faith in it to protect and support our loved ones, and it must always remain free at the point of use.
The best gift we can give the NHS on its 75th birthday is a Labour Government.
Recently I visited Queen’s Hospital on behalf of Jon Cruddas MP. I was not shocked by the frank discussions about staff pressure, outdated IT, overstretched services, and underfunded departments - I was angry at the damage caused by 13 years of Tory neglect.
The reason for the visit was to find out what impact the closure of GP surgeries and reduction of services at ‘walk-in centres’ was having on the Emergency Department. After walking through corridors which had been repurposed as clinical areas, it became apparent that there was an issue with rising demand and a lack of capacity, both in terms of space and staffing, to accommodate the health needs of local people.
When asked what politicians could do, the Director of Strategy & Partnerships highlighted several areas for action, with the top two asks being investment in training across health and social care, with a long-term workforce retention plan and a significant change to the GP contract, empowering them to do more.
Let’s be honest about Romford. If the Tory MP was going to do anything to improve the situation at Queen’s Hospital and across GP services, it would have been done already. Only a strong Labour MP as part of an incoming Labour Government will deliver the resources Queen’s Hospital needs to provide the good quality healthcare that our community deserves.
Labour will deliver a 10-year plan for change which would include the biggest expansion of the NHS workforce in its history, doubling the number of district nurses qualifying each year, training 5,000 new health visitors, doubling doctors in training to 15,000 per year, and creating 10,000 more nursing and midwifery placements – all funded by abolishing non-dom tax status, making people who live in Britain pay their taxes in Britain.
Today is an opportunity to thank our NHS heroes for their outstanding contribution to society over the past 75 years. The best way to thank the NHS in Romford is by electing a Labour MP at the next election who will fight for it and deliver a better future.