High Peak MP Robert Largan writes about the 75th birthday of the National Health Service in his latest column.
This week represents 75 years of our National Health Service. Over those 75 years, the NHS has seen a lot of changes. Back in 1948, the NHS budget was less than £0.5billion and had around 150,000 staff.
Today, the NHS budget is approaching £200 billion and has a staff of nearly 1.5 million, making it one of the largest organisations in the world.
The range of drugs and treatment available now is beyond anything that could have been imagined 75 years ago. Average life expectancy is now 13 years longer than back in 1948.
But with all those changes, the NHS has kept to its foundational principles of being free at the point of use for everyone. That’s a principle that I am 100% committed to maintaining.
To mark the 75th anniversary, there was a special reception at 10 Downing Street, to recognise the amazing contribution of doctors, nurses and other NHS staff. I was privileged to host Dr Alan Dow and Dr Heidrun Loose, who between them have spent 60 years working in our local health service.
The NHS depends on its staff. That’s why I welcome the Government’s new Long Term Workforce Plan, drawn up in consultation with NHS staff.
Under the 15 year plan, the number of places in medical schools will rise from 7,500 to 15,000. There will also be a big expansion in training places for those who want to become nurses, with the number rising by a third to 40,000 by 2028.
This is already building on record high staff numbers, with over 5,300 more doctors and 12,300 more nurses, with nearly two million extra GP appointments delivered per month compared to a year ago.
The NHS has saved my life twice. I will always defend it and fight for better local services. That’s why I successfully campaigned to get new urgent care centres for both Tameside Hospital and Stepping Hill Hospital, both of which are currently under construction. It’s also why we’re delivering new specialist mental health intensive care units, with the new men’s unit at Tameside opening recently and the women’s unit due to open soon at Stepping Hill.
It’s also why I led the successful campaign to reinstate the breast cancer screening mobile unit to the High Peak. I’m still campaigning to get Buxton’s Colposcopy Clinic reinstated too. The Government has just announced a new lung cancer screening programme, which we will benefit from locally too.
But there’s more to do. I’m still working with our local NHS on plans for a major new health centre for Buxton and I’m pushing for more investment in our care sector.
Whatever happens, I’ll keep working with you all to make our local NHS even better!
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