Patients in Southampton Test are benefitting from access to quicker care with this Labour government, with over 44,523 extra appointments delivered in just one year – part of over 5 million extra appointments delivered across England since Labour was elected.
Local Labour MP, Satvir Kaur, described the news as ‘a huge step in the right direction for patients in our community’ and that ‘once again it is a Labour Government fixing our treasured NHS’.
Thanks to Labour’s turbocharged efforts across the country – including more community care than ever before, stronger working between GPs and clinicians and record funding into the NHS – the government is reversing more than a decade of decline and poor access to services under the Conservatives.
The Government’s recent Ten Year Health Plan promised a shift from hospital to community, with more care in local areas like Southampton. For families, this means quicker and more convenient appointments, closer to home and more time focusing on treatment and recovery. The increased capacity across the country has also meant that despite ongoing pressures on the health service, local patients have continued to receive the urgent care they need.
The government inherited an NHS with some patients waiting as long as 18 months for treatment. It has set an ambition to cut the longest waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of the Parliament, as part of its Plan for Change.
Southampton Test MP Satvir Kaur said: “For too long, patients in our community have been stuck on the Tories NHS waiting lists or struggling to get that healthcare that they need. There’s so much more to do, but these figures show clearly that this Labour Government is delivering for our community and, step by step, I hope that local residents begin to see and feel the benefit.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “One year ago, I made a promise that we would deliver 2 million extra appointments in our first year – not only did we do this in just 5 months, but we have obliterated that target, carrying out over 5 million.
“That is testament to the relentless efforts of NHS staff across the country, alongside key reforms and the extra £26 billion we’re investing to get waiting times down for patients.
“Our 10 Year Health Plan will go even further for people in Southampton, driving care out of our busy hospitals and into local communities as we deliver the radical transformation required to fix our broken health service.”
