Since being appointed a Health Minister in the new Labour Government in July, I’ve been working to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the NHS. In recent weeks, I’ve updated Parliament about our mission to rebuild the health service.
Lord Darzi’s review into the NHS laid bare the damage to the health service inflicted by the previous Government. In a debate on this report, it was a privilege to respond to the passionate speeches of colleagues, who described the impact of 14 years of failure on the people they represent.
I spoke about my own experience working in the NHS in Bristol under the last Labour Government, when I saw a health service delivering the shortest waiting times in history. Since then, I have seen it decline in Bristol South. As Health Minister, I want to ensure the NHS meets its founding promise for people in Bristol South: to be there for patients when they need it.
I was also pleased to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week through a debate about maternity services. I outlined Labour’s work to ensure new mothers receive the highest possible standard of care, with a three-year delivery plan to make care safer, fairer, and more tailored to their needs.
Building an NHS fit for the future will require collaborating with staff and patients across the country, and I recently fielded questions from other MPs about local services in their area. I addressed Labour’s plans for Urgent and Emergency Care Services and our focus on prevention and early intervention, as well as other key issues for local people.
Most recently, I spoke about Labour’s plans to create a neighbourhood health service. Throughout my time in opposition and in the first three months of government, I’ve met so many GPs, pharmacists, dentists, and other primary care staff; none have said the system is working as it should.
Fixing primary care is central to Labour’s 10-year plan to build an NHS fit for the future, so patients can access care in their local area. Our first steps include training thousands more GPs, a proper rescue plan for dentistry, and expanding the role of pharmacists in the community.