Political View: Making progress on fixing the NHS
An important milestone was reached this week when the Government confirmed that an extra two million more appointments have been provided in the NHS since last summer, writes Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes.
Forgive me if I keep coming back to the state of the NHS but it is one of the most important issues facing us as a city and country.
Waiting times are simply too long and people are feeling it. Just last weekend, on one of my community surgeries, a resident raised the issues of waiting times for his operation.
That’s why this week’s news on appointments is progress. Two million more NHS appointments mean helping you and your family get seen quicker. Making sure people get the care they need, when they need it. This was a promise we made in the run up to the General Election – a promise people voted for, and a promise we have delivered on seven months early.
Thousands of patients are now being seen earlier, with everything ranging from cancer tests and treatment to routine checks and scans. We will be even better when the new NHS Community Diagnostic Centre is built by Wellington Street.
This news follows the announcement last week that Peterborough has received a much welcome increase in funding for public health services as part of a £200 million national funding boost to the Public Health Grant – the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending under the Conservatives.
Peterborough will receive more than £13 million to help drive key health services from smoking cessation to addiction recovery and children’s health, and to help fund family and school nurses, sexual health clinics and other public services in the local area.
Last week, I was pleased to welcome Health Minister Stephen Kinnock MP to the Thistlemoor Medical Centre on Lincoln Road to meet Dr Neil Modha and the team, and to learn more about the excellent care they provide for our community. The award-winning centre does incredible health work in the heart of the community.
Even with the recent improvements in waiting times, there is still much more to do.
We cannot forget dentists when talking about the NHS. The lack of NHS dental provision is one of the biggest issues in my email inbox. As of March last year, only 1 in 4 adults has seen a dentist in the last two years in Peterborough, compared to 4 in 10 across England. In the last Parliament, we saw a big drop in NHS dentists, with over 60 fewer dentists doing NHS work in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. I am determined to get that number up again. I am working with the Integrated Care Board on dentists, and I will always fight for more NHS dentists here in Peterborough.
There is still a long way to go. The job is not done, but this is my priority, and the Government’s priority. We will go further and faster to build an NHS fit for the future – an NHS that helps the families of Peterborough.