Luke Myer, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, has welcomed new national and regional NHS progress announced recently, while emphasising that “there is still a long way to go before every patient on Teesside feels the benefit.”
Waiting lists falling nationally & locally
NHS waiting lists have fallen by 16,000 in the last month alone, with the last year marking the first sustained fall in 15 years. Nationally, waiting lists are now nearly a quarter of a million lower than when the Labour Government took office last year.
In the North East & Yorkshire, waiting lists have fallen by 15,836 this year -meaning faster treatment and fewer people left waiting in pain.
Ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes are now ten minutes faster than this time last year, and GP satisfaction is rising again for the first time in a decade.
Cutting bureaucracy and reinvesting in patient care
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also confirmed major NHS reforms that will redirect more than £1 billion a year back into frontline care by the end of the Parliament. This includes scrapping NHS England to end duplication, slim down administrative structures, and give more autonomy to local health leaders.
Luke welcomed these changes, noting that Teesside has already seen what difference targeted local investment can make. Over the past year he has visited James Cook University Hospital’s new Urgent Treatment Centre, the new Stockton Community Diagnostic Centre, local GP surgeries, pharmacies, and health centres – “a reminder,” he said, “that when the NHS has the tools and the staff, our region delivers world-class care.”
Responding to the Health Secretary’s update, Luke Myer MP said:
“Our NHS belongs to all of us. We’re starting to move in the right direction, and Teesside is beginning to feel the benefit – but I won’t stop until every patient on Teesside can get the timely, dignified care they deserve.
I’ve heard from constituents who can already see the difference of waiting lists down, GP satisfaction improving, and faster response times for the most serious emergencies. But we all know the NHS is still under huge pressure. No one thinks the job is done. My focus is making sure our area gets its fair share of investment, staff and services.”
A long-term plan to rebuild our NHS
Last year, Middlesbrough hosted the first ‘national conversation’ about the NHS’ ten-year plan. The plan, shaped directly by Teessiders, includes:
- expanding early diagnosis and prevention
- rolling out modern technology to speed up treatment
- building a new generation of neighbourhood health centres
- improving staffing levels across primary care, mental health and hospitals
- tackling inequality by directing investment to areas with the greatest need
While there’s a way to go, this Labour Government is getting our NHS on the road to recovery.