Campaigning MP Andrew Percy backs NHS investment

The House of Commons Health Select Committee member, welcomed the massive £887,000 of Government investment for the hospital Trust.

It will be used by them to prepare for the extra pressures of winter. The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, announced the funding to provide more bed space, pay for additional staff, increase access to the area’s GPs and also to help the ambulance service meet the ever increasing demand on its resources.

MP Mr Percy said that nationally there were a million more visits to accident and emergency departments in the trust compared to 2010, and he added that there were around 2,000 additional ambulance journeys each day.

He said the Government had also spent £40bn extra on the NHS service since 2010 to help the NHS and its workers deal with the increased demand.

Mr Percy further added: “It’s great news that, once again, the Government have stepped in to try and mitigate the additional pressures put on our NHS services over the winter.

“It’s important that residents visit their GP if they are feeling unwell, and only attend A&E if necessary, to help our hard working NHS staff over the coming months.

“We have an ageing population with increasingly complex needs and we have to find ways of configuring the NHS to prepare for this pressure over the next few decades, such as increased integration with social care. Extra money for the NHS is only part of the solution, but I’m proud that this Government have ring-fenced the NHS from cuts and spent a total of £40bn extra on our health service since we came to office.

“It’s disappointing that Labour’s Health spokesman criticised us at the time, calling real term increases in NHS spending ‘irresponsible’. I think we need to move on from that and put party politics aside to focus on what matters most: delivering a world class health service for patients.”