County Cllr welcomes Labour pledge on NHS

“We need Doctors and Nurses not non-doms”

County Cllr Julie Gibson has welcomed plans recently announced by the Labour Party to tackle the backlog of patients waiting for a GP appointment. New data from the NHS has shown that almost two million people in England had to wait more than 28 days in October while a further 4.3 million had to wait more than two weeks. The findings come as the Labour Party announces plans to abolish the non-dom tax status, which allows some wealthy people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas, to pay for training a new generation of NHS staff.

Cllr Gibson said: “The lack of GP appointments is something that is raised with me on a regular basis. Although there was a covid backlog, there was a GP waiting list backlog before covid. This has just exacerbated the situation in Lancashire mirroring what is happening nationally, with NHS figures showing 54,620 people in Lancashire faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP in October and a further 119,972 had to wait more than two weeks. At the same time, we see the number of GPs has fallen to a record low leaving patients in a desperate scramble to be seen.”

She continued: “Labour’s plans would see a doubling of the number of medical school places, training of 10,000 additional nurses and midwives and 5,000 new health visitors every year. Not only that Labour’s plan will also see patients guaranteed a face-to-face appointment with a GP if they want one. Latest figures show one in seven people who try to speak to a nurse or GP were unable to get an appointment at all last year.

Cllr Gibson said: “12 years of Conservative failure to train the staff our NHS needs has left it with thousands fewer GPs, and patients are paying the price. Meanwhile the Conservatives are protecting the non-dom tax status, allowing people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas. We need doctors and nurses, not non-doms. Patients should be able to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose, when they need to. Labour will put patients first and get them seen on time again.”