The government has launched the biggest ever national conversation about the future of our NHS.
The new Labour government is taking immediate action to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future, and wants to listen to people in our area.
Residents across the Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Gifford areas can share their experiences of using the NHS, their frustrations, as well as their ideas for how to improve it, via the online platform Change.NHS.uk
Having received the diagnosis of an NHS that is broken but not beaten, the government now needs to develop a plan to lift it off its knees and make it fit for the future. This plan cannot be top-down or led from behind a desk in Westminster. It must be built in partnership with the people who use our NHS, the staff who work in it, NHS leaders, health experts, industry and the wider public.
Encouraging residents, NHS staff and industry experts to share their experiences and ideas, Claire Hazelgrove, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has said: “I come from a family of NHS workers and public servants and getting our NHS back on its feet is one of the biggest issues people have raised with me on their doorsteps ahead of the election. It’s absolutely vital that local people’s voices are heard from across our communities to inform the future of our NHS.
“We all know the challenges facing the NHS after 14 years of mismanagement and decline under the Conservatives. Whether it’s struggling to get a GP appointment or being stuck on an NHS waiting list, now is the time to make sure we build an NHS that is fit for the future. Please do take part and make your voice heard.”
This national conversation will run for five months and can also be joined via the NHS app. There will also be in-person events across the country, as well as an option for people to send in their contributions by post.
This insight will inform the government’s Ten-Year Health Plan, due to be published in the Spring, which will deliver the unprecedented long-term reform needed to turn the NHS around.
Launching the ‘Change NHS’ public engagement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “My mum worked for the NHS, my sister worked for the NHS and my wife still works for the NHS – so I know firsthand how difficult it has been for staff, and for patients battling against a broken system for over a decade. But it’s time to roll up our sleeves and fix it.
“We have a clear plan to fix the health service, but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it. Together we can build a healthcare system that puts patients first and delivers the care that everyone deserves.
“We have a huge opportunity to put the NHS back on its feet. So, let’s be the generation that took the NHS from the worst crisis in its history and made it fit for the future.”