Labour’s Budget is the first step to ending rural health inequity
2 min read
For 14 years, rural communities were failed by the Conservatives. As the MP for England’s largest rural constituency of Hexham, I have spoken to countless constituents about their frustrations about business, farming, the economy, jobs, housing and, particularly, on health.
I was pleased to see an immediate funding boost for the NHS in the Budget. Our health mission will make a real difference in the communities I represent. There are clear and undeniable disparities in healthcare and provision in the North and South, as well as rural and urban areas.
Such regional health discrepancies link to more broader disparities that urgently need addressing.
NHS waiting lists, including lengthy delays in mental healthcare services – particularly affecting young people and our farming communities – and a limited number of medical experts are just a couple of the key issues affecting the provision of rural healthcare services and impacting the lives of the people I represent.
Regional health discrepancies link to more broader disparities that urgently need addressing
But this Budget marks a turning point for our NHS, delivering on the promise of change. Increased funding to reduce waiting times will help the NHS deliver an extra 40,000 elective appointments a week. This is an overdue injection of capital spending to fix the foundations of our most cherished public service and make the delivery of healthcare more efficient for generations to come.
We must take steps to improve the provision of preventive care, which is harder to access in more regionally dispersed areas. I want to recognise the determined work of my constituent Michael Parry for his committed campaign to improving early cancer screening in rural regions, following his own diagnosis.
Delivering better rural health services is intertwined with other challenges for rural communities. Digital connectivity, dependable public transport services and access to affordable housing all have an undue impact on rural healthcare.
For one resident in my constituency, the lack of direct buses or public transport to the hospital means that a round trip can take a total of four hours. For others, a trip to a GP surgery might mean a bus into central Newcastle and a bus back out to Bellingham – taking hours compared to a drive that would take just 15 minutes.
Not only am I proud that this Budget will start the process of rebuilding and fixing the foundations of our country, but I am proud that there is a clear commitment to improving rural communities. From investment in mental health crisis centres and surgical hubs to directing funding towards cancer treatments and NHS technology, Labour is putting rural communities at the heart of rebuilding our healthcare services.
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