Today (15 October) at Prime Minister’s Questions Emma told David Cameron about the pressure facing NHS services in South Shields.
Emma asked the Prime Minister:
“In my constituency South Tyneside Hospital is facing an extra 30,000 visits annually because of the closure of the walk-in centre in nearby Jarrow. Is this acceptable?”
The Prime Minister responded that NHS funding was going up in South Tyneside, but did not comment on the closure, which has been met with concerns from local residents that services at South Tyneside Hospital will be stretched.
In 2012 South Tyneside Hospital faced a beds shortage and severe pressure on A&E services. Following the closure of the Walk-In Centre the hospital expects to receive nearly 30,000 more visitors per year.
Health charity the King’s Fund has warned that the NHS is facing a funding gap that is expected to grow to more than £30 billion by 2020. NHS services across the country are being forced to cut back on services. Under David Cameron the number of GPs and nurses has fallen, even as the NHS faces greater demand.
Ed Miliband announced at Labour Conference that Labour would invest £2.5 billion in the NHS through the new Time to Care fund. This would pay for 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 GPs as well as thousands more care workers and midwives.
The fund would be funded by a new mansion tax, a crackdown on tax avoidance, and a new windfall tax on tobacco companies.
Labour’s investment in the NHS would also mean people would be able to get a guaranteed GPs appointment within 48 hours. Under the Coalition Government over a quarter of people currently wait more than a week for an appointment.
Speaking after Prime Minister’s Questions, Emma said:
“The Prime Minister won’t have reassured people in South Shields with his answer. They’ve seen for themselves how NHS services are struggling under the Tories, and they understandably worry about how our hospital will cope when it suddenly faces nearly 30,000 extra visits a year.
“The National Health Service is one of the best performing health services in the world, and one of our proudest achievements as a country. If we’re going to protect it we need to make sure it gets the money it needs, and that’s why I support Ed Miliband’s plan for a £2.5 billion Time to Care Fund to make sure the NHS can carry on providing high quality care to those who need it.”