THE Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has said the country is “crying out for a change”.
Wes Streeting, visited Grange Park Surgery, in Burley-in-Wharfedale, which falls within the Shipley constituency, to outline plans to bring back the family doctor and talked about “one of the biggest issues” people have raised with him - the struggle to get a GP appointment.
He said: “We’ve got thousands of fewer GPs under the Conservatives and, as a result, here in Shipley alone we see people, over five thousand people, waiting more than a month to see a GP, and over 15,000 waiting more than the two weeks that the Government set as their own time target.
“We’ve got to deal with this crisis and fix the front door to the NHS, by making sure that we train up thousands more GPs and cut through the red tape that holds doctors back, so we can bring back the family doctor relationship.”
The minister was also supporting Labour’s candidate Shipley, Anna Dixon, on the visit.
She said: “I’ve had a background in health and social care, I know how to get things done."
“I’m saying to the people of Shipley, I will make sure that we get that investment to boost our local economy, I will make sure that they can get into see a doctor or dentist when they need it, and we will clean up our rivers and restore our environment to what it should be like.”
Speaking about the challenges that have faced councils, Mr Streeting said: “I think people should keep in mind that every single council in the country, Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, they have had their hands tied behind their back by 14 years of Conservative failure.
“Deep cuts and an approach from the central Government that has tried to devolve the cuts and devolve the blame.
“A Labour government is going to work in partnership with our mayors and with our local councils to rebuild our country.
“I think Britain is crying out for change after 14 years of Conservative failure.
“I know there are lots of people saying out there, can politics be a force for good, can it be better than this – and I really hope those people give change a chance by voting Labour on July 4.
“We’ve set out practical, achievable, affordable first steps on the journey to a decade of national renewal."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here