Standing up for our NHS in a time of crisis
Our NHS needs help – the Tories have let us all down
Like everyone else living in our area, Claire is concerned about the state of our NHS. In this area ambulance response times have been worryingly high and waiting to see a GP or registering with an NHS dentist can be a real battle.
In recent months, Claire and the Lib Dem team have been carrying out a local door-to-door health survey to hear the views of local residents. What’s clear is that thousands of people have experienced problems accessing health care. Claire understands the hard-working nurses and doctors are not to blame, they do a terrific job, but we need to give them the support they need and deserve.
Under the Conservatives our NHS is now clearly in crisis, having run local health services into the ground. During the Conservatives time in government the UK has only become sicker and is lagging far behind its international peers. Instead of taking action the government has allowed our health to decline, particularly that of children.
More than 7 million people nationally are waiting for NHS treatment and demand for GP services continues to outstrip supply. But currently, overwhelming pressure on resources, staff shortages and long waiting times have put patient safety at risk and eroded confidence in timely medical help.
Claire and her family use local NHS services. She’s keen to see an NHS for all and is strongly backing the Liberal Democrat’s Fair Deal for our NHS. The Liberal Democrats want a brighter, healthier future for all and have a 10 point plan for transforming the nations health through initiatives like restoring the public health grant to 2015 levels, funded by an ‘invest to save’ model.
She is particularly concerned with cancer waiting times in our area. The Liberal Democrats are fighting to boost cancer survival rates by calling for the introduction of a legal right to cancer treatment to start within two months of an urgent referral.
Claire and the Liberal Democrats also want to see an end to the rise of dental deserts by improving the availability of NHS dentists and reducing the burden of expensive private care costs that have led to a rise in disastrous DIY dentistry.