Weekly Update - 27 October
Dear John
This week, The Health Foundation’s study on NHS waiting lists revealed that they would be the highest in history today even without industrial action. No longer can the Conservatives blame doctors and nurses for the crisis in the NHS. Sunak’s failure to negotiate with striking workers and stop industrial action has only made a terrible situation worse, leaving even more patients stuck waiting for treatment on waiting lists, unable to live their lives to the full. The number of people waiting for treatment across England has increased every single month since Rishi Sunak pledged to cut NHS waiting lists. Data published last month revealed that 137,896 people are waiting for treatment at University Hospitals Birmingham Trust (UHB). Of those waiting, a total of 12,789 have been waiting longer than a year. Only Labour can be trusted to fix the crisis in the NHS and build a health service fit for the future. We have a plan to cut waiting lists by getting the NHS working around the clock, delivering 2 million extra appointments a year, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status.
The Metro
This week, I continued to show my support for The Metro and Feed’s Formula for Change campaign. The restrictions that prevent families from using store points and gift cards to buy infant formula are clearly outdated no longer fit for purpose. That’s why Labour will urgently review the existing legislation to ensure that retailers will be able to accept loyalty cards as payment for infant formula. Read the full article here:
In Parliament
This week in Parliament, I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the future of the NHS. After 13 years of Tory incompetence, 1 in 7 of us are stuck on waiting lists and public satisfaction in the NHS is at a 40-year low. 26 million people of working age are out of work long-term sick – a record high. We’re also facing a crisis in dentistry, with patients across the country pulling their own teeth out because they cannot get the care they need. Labour will get the NHS back on its feet. We will train thousands more doctors and nurses, so the NHS has the staff it needs, armed with cutting edge technology to treat patients sooner and faster. We will get doctors and nurses working around the clock to bust the backlogs and pull the NHS out of perma-crisis. We will also rescue NHS dentistry by providing 700,000 more urgent appointments a year to bring down backlogs, and targeted funding to train up dentists in left behind areas.
Liver Cancer
This week, it was a privilege to speak at the British Liver Trust’s report launch on Liver Cancer. Liver cancer has one of the poorest survival rates of all types of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 13%. It is also now the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK. With liver cancer, early diagnosis saves lives. 80-90% of liver cancer patients have underlying cirrhosis, and 90% of liver disease is preventable. That's why the next Labour government will have a relentless focus on prevention and improving earlier detection of diseases.
Local News
Birmingham City Council Speed Limit Consultation This week, I responded to Birmingham City Council’s consultation around reviewing all existing 40mph speed limits across the city, with the intention that they become 30mph. Included in the proposed scheme are Wolverhampton Road South, West Boulevard, Barnes Hill, Shenley Lane, and Hagley Road West. I told the council that I support the speed reduction initiative, citing the 50+ cases I have worked on this year after constituents raised concerns about speeding, illegal car racing, and cruising on roads in and around Edgbaston. I also requested that 30mph limit reduction be extended all the way up to the Quinton Island/Quinton Expressway roundabout and introduced in Genners Lane, Cromwell Lane, Moors Lane, Gillhurst Road, Croftdown Road, Augustus Road, Woodbourne Road, Norfolk Road, Westfield Road, and Quinton Road West. The consultation closes on 19 November and I encourage you to have your say, which you can give online here:
You can also read my full submission to the consultation here:
West Midlands Police West Midlands Police has recognised the far-reaching impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict and have accordingly increased patrols across parts of the region to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities. With more protests coming up over the coming days, they have promised to ensure that an appropriate policing plan is in place in order to balance the right to protest against any disruption to communities.
MHRC Next week, the Mobile Household Recycling Centre will be visiting Trimpley Road, B32 3PE, in Bartley Green, and Green Lane, B32 1EP, in Quinton, on 30th October. The centre will be open between 7am and 12:30pm, so please come along if you're local and have bulky household waste to dispose of. Best wishes,
Preet Kaur Gill MP, Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, Quinton and North Edgbaston
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