Westminster Life: Fixing the foundations of the NHS
This week the government launched the biggest conversation about the future of the NHS since it was founded, writes Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes.
Troubles with the NHS is one of the biggest issues that comes up in my correspondence, whether that is worries about getting a GP appointment, lack of NHS dentists or longer waiting times.
I am always happy to help constituents, but we also need to fix the foundations of the NHS.
After 14 years of neglect and mismanagement, we need to take immediate action to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future.
The record of the last government was clear. In Peterborough alone, we saw record waiting lists at the hospitals, one of the worst records for NHS dentists and the 8am scramble to get on the phone for a GP appointment.
In recent months I’ve met with ambulance staff, nurses, doctors and dentists. I’ve helped constituents battle with NHS bureaucracy and heard how you want action to fix the NHS.
That’s why it is both my personal priority and a priority for the new government.
It was a pleasure last week to welcome Dr Neil Modha and the team from Thistlemoor Medical Centre to Westminster for the NHS Parliamentary Staff Awards. The team won the Health Equalities Award for their community care work helping to treat people locally rather than them needing to attend A&E. This is a great example of how NHS staff know the solutions that work and need support to innovate for what works in Peterborough.
It was a pleasure to meet Wes Streeting MP, Health Secretary, with them at the awards.
We are also finally making progress with our Community Diagnostic Centre which will provide a city centre base for NHS scans and tests. The funding was guaranteed for the project by Labour in the election and the new centre will hopefully expand to provide other NHS services.
One of our first acts after the election was to settle the NHS strikes to get doctors and nurses back at work and waiting lists down.
Days after coming into office, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting ordered a full and independent investigation into the NHS that has since concluded that the NHS is in a ‘critical condition’. Having received the diagnosis of an NHS that is broken, but not beaten, we now need to develop the plan to lift it off its knees and make it fit for the future.
This plan cannot be top-down or led from behind a desk in Westminster. It must be built in partnership with the people who use our NHS, the staff who work in it, NHS leaders, health experts, industry, and the wider public.
Starting this week, residents in Peterborough can share their experiences of using the NHS, their frustrations, as well as their ideas for how to improve it, via the online platform
Change.NHS.uk, which will run for five months and is also available via the NHS app. Look out for my local events. Together, we can shape an NHS that serves us all.