When I was first elected as your Member of Parliament in 2015, our NHS across the North East and North Cumbria was getting £5.6 billion of core funding each year. This year, our local NHS is getting £8 billion – £2.4 billion more every year. Even with inflation, that’s over half a billion a year extra locally for the health of you and yours.
Across the country, this Conservative government has increased NHS funding by over a third in real terms after inflation since 2010, increasing to a total budget of £164.9 billion in 2024/25.
It's not just about funding though, it is crucial there is a plan – and the Conservatives have it.
First, more doctors and nurses. There are now 45,911 more doctors and 75,263 more nurses since 2010, 250 more doctors and 400 more nurses for every month we’ve been in office. I recently updated folk on our local statistics, which confirm an extra 106 nurses and 36 hospital doctors across our local NHS compared to 2022, and an extra 155 GPs, 68 direct-patient-care GP workers and 2 million more GP appointments per year since 2019.
Second, the Conservative government has provided dedicated funding for GP surgeries to embrace latest technologies like replacing old analogue phones with modern systems. This helps make seeing your GP quicker, and frees capacity for those who need to talk direct.
Our plan is rolling out the first ever long-term NHS Workforce Plan to ensure we have the right doctors, nurses, dentists and other health professionals for the future; a new NHS Productivity Plan; new AI technology; and 160 Community Diagnostic Centres to deliver millions more scans, tests and checks. All backed by record funding.
Alongside this, you will have read my updates on our exciting new, first-of-a-kind modular build Berwick Infirmary. For too long, the need for a new hospital in Berwick was ignored. I am proud to have secured a £35 million commitment – and we are building a fantastic, modern facility, providing all previous services as before, and also now endoscopy. There will be GP services on site, as well as physio and cancer care for many patients. This means that we will continue to reduce the travelling time and mileage that patients and their families need to do to get the care they need.
We’ve more to do. If re-elected, I will continue working closely with government and our local NHS to improve our rural dentistry access, and working with NHS providers for upgraded, modern GP facilities, such as those coming to Felton.
While the NHS in Labour-run Wales has the highest waiting lists for patients anywhere in the UK, our waiting lists in England have fallen by around 200,000 since September 2023, with waits of over 18 months virtually eliminated.
The plan is working – so let’s stick with it. I hope I can count on your support on Thursday 4th July.
