Kate Dearden MP: Have your say on the future of NHS

Kate Dearden MP, writes: Local residents suffered for far too long under the previous Conservative government, with over 4,000 residents in Halifax having to wait longer than 52 weeks for planned treatment. That's 4,000 people who had to put their lives on hold for over a year, at times with devastating consequences.

This has also meant that in some cases, only those who could afford the cost of private healthcare, were able to access timely treatment. This is a true disgrace, creating a two-tiered system which flies in the face of the values of the NHS. Shockingly, this is something that Reform is advocating for, with Nigel Farage recently calling for a complete overhaul of the healthcare funding system in the UK.

But the Labour Party and I believe that no one should have to remain in agony, regardless of whether they can pay for their healthcare. And we also believe that no one should be unable to access life saving treatment because waiting lists are too high, the likes of which we saw unfold under the Conservatives. Under their leadership, too many people were unable to access their GP or dentist, and A&E’s faced increasing and unsustainable pressure.

So, we are taking action. As one of our five milestones for this government we will bring down waiting lists so that no one waits more than 18 weeks for planned surgery, and we have already announced our plan for how we will achieve this.

We will use upgrades to the NHS app, and move more care into the community through increased access to Community Diagnostic Centres and new or expanded surgical hubs, to free up vital capacity within GP surgeries and hospitals.

We will also learn from local successes, like the turnaround seen in our own local Trust, where thanks to the dedication and hard work of staff in Calderdale and Huddersfield, elective care waiting lists have now been transformed. This government is mirroring methods used by the Trust, including enhanced use of digital tools and providing incentives for staff to carry out additional shifts, to help bring down the backlog and make sure patients receive treatment sooner.

Under our plans, around 450,000 people more will be treated within 18 weeks by the end of next year.

We know we have a long way to go to fix our NHS and that this is only the start. Change will not happen overnight, which is why, alongside the plan announced by our Health Secretary to bring down waiting lists nationwide, we are also implementing a longer-term strategic plan: A ten year plan for the NHS.

And we also know that if we are to solve the crisis the NHS is in, then we must listen to those who use it. So I will be hosting a local NHS consultation, to ensure your voices are heard and can be fed into the national conversation. If you want to have a say in what you want the future of the NHS to look like, please get in touch to sign up to the consultation I am holding at 2pm on February 14.

This change can’t come soon enough and I want us all to be a part of it.