Brentwood and Ongar MP, Alex Burghart has joined forces with his fellow Essex MPs to pledge support to the Love Essex NHS campaign, which aims to highlight the hard work of NHS staff and its importance in UK society.
The campaign originally began in Southend with Love Southend NHS and was launched there by the Health Secretary, the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP. It has now expanded across the county with the Members of Parliament showing they believe fully in the NHS and its values, and are committed to a tax-funded NHS, free at the point of use, wherever and whenever needed.
Alex Said: "Constituents from Brentwood and Ongar travel to Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon and Harlow for treatment, so liaison with other MPs to promote the services we have to offer in Essex is a key part of ensuring local people get the best treatment possible in a timely and positive way."
Good news for health and social care services in Essex includes:
- Southend Hospital being identified as one of 10 ‘one-stop shop’ trial centres across the UK that GPs can refer patients to speed up cancer diagnoses. Patients can be assessed quickly and referred to appropriate specialists when needed, potentially allowing doctors to identify patients with cancer early, who may previously have only been diagnosed through attendance in A&E or after a routine referral to a specialist:
- Plans for a brand new state of the art medical school to train the next generation of doctors due to be opened in Chelmsford this year;
- An increased workforce: there are now 213 more hospital doctors than 2010 and 279 more nurses than 2010 based at NHS Mid & South Essex Hospitals;
- In 2016/17 NHS Mid & South Essex Hospitals having a total of 147,212 operations which is an increase of 18, 175 more than 2010 averaging over 400 operations a day;
- Nationally, £2.4 billion a year which will be ear-marked a year for GP services by 2020/21;
- A record £11.4 billion being invested in mental health funding;
- Ensuring best value for taxpayers, through tough new financial controls being introduced to cut down on waste in the NHS, including introducing caps for agency staff and management consultants, and introducing central procurement rules;
- An additional £2 billion for social care over the next three years to help ease pressures on the NHS by supporting more people to be discharged from hospital and into care as soon as they are ready.