Fix Our NHS Now!

The state of our National Health Service (NHS) is now a national disgrace – and that is disturbingly clear throughout the area. 

We have one doctor for every 2,208 patients against a national average of one for every 1,600. 

In some local GP practices, it can take a month to get a routine appointment, while outdated dentists’ contracts have left dental practices refusing to take on new NHS patients.

In rural parts of the constituency, less than a quarter of ambulances arrive in the target time. We’ve even seen patients sent as far away as Redhill. 

Years of underfunding and inaction by the Tory government have undermined services while sapping staff morale.  

Prospective MP Richard Streatfeild says:

“Our health services are a shadow of what we used to expect and what we’re still entitled to expect.
“Liberal Democrats have always put health care at the top of our priorities, and we continue to do so with carefully planned and costed proposals.
“Seven million patients across England are currently waiting for NHS treatment, cancer treatment targets are routinely missed. It needs to change.
“Conservative MP’s and ministers such as Laura Trott deny responsibility for this national crisis, parroting claims that NHS funding has increased - although it’s nowhere near enough to meet the demand.
“This is why the Liberal Democrats have developed achievable and properly costed plans to tackle this national crisis in health care.” 

These include emphasis on the prevention of illness and disease, focusing on children's health, and giving local councils powers to restrict junk food advertising and unhealthy food outlets near schools.

Lib Dems also want to progressively restore NHS funding to 2015 levels, with part of that set aside for local communities experiencing the worst health inequalities.

We also want a government-backed national campaign to encourage exercise and healthier habits.