Political opinion with Kate Dearden MP: Delivering a better future for our NHS
For too long, our NHS has been neglected, and people in Halifax have felt the consequences. Whether it’s hours spent in A&E, delays to life-saving surgery and cancer treatment, longer ambulance response times, or GP services becoming harder to access, local residents have borne the brunt of this decline.
That’s why, since coming into office, a central priority of this Labour Government has been to turn our NHS around and restore trust in the national institution we are so proud of - ensuring it will always be there for us when we need it.
We are honest about the scale of the challenge. Fourteen years of Tory cuts cannot be undone overnight. But we have set out a clear 10-year plan for the NHS, alongside targeted strategies to tackle the most urgent issues. I’m particularly proud that this includes England’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy, which will help improve outcomes for preventable killers like prostate cancer and reduce the tragically high rates of suicide - the leading cause of death among men under 50.
While there is still much more to do, progress is already being made. Since the election, NHS waiting lists have fallen by 230,000, ambulances are arriving ten minutes faster than they were a year ago, and we have secured over five million additional appointments.
None of this would be possible without our brilliant healthcare staff. At Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust, their work has delivered nation-leading results. Earlier this month, our Trust was named the best in the country for cancer treatment - meaning cancers are caught earlier, treatment starts sooner, and more lives are saved.
Our local success doesn’t end there. Elective waiting lists at the Trust have been significantly reduced, and the percentage of patients seen in A&E within four hours has risen by over 15% in the past year.
In Government, I’ve been working closely with colleagues to secure the investment our area deserves - investment that enables NHS staff to build on this progress so that residents not only hear about the improvements, but genuinely feel them.
That investment is already making a difference: £5.7 million to improve Calderdale Royal Hospital, funded upgrades for local GP surgeries, and over £1.1 million recently announced for solar panel installation and clean energy across our hospitals.
These improvements are about more than better-looking buildings. They mean more appointments, greater comfort for patients, lower energy costs that can be reinvested into frontline care, and a healthcare system equipped for the future.
And there is more to come. Here in Halifax, construction is planned to begin next year on a new clinical building at Calderdale Royal Hospital, increasing crucial local healthcare capacity.
We still have far to go, but Halifax is already showing what can be achieved with a dedicated workforce and a government committed to backing our NHS.