Looking ahead to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS which takes place on Thursday, Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has wished the NHS a Happy Birthday and set out some healthcare priorities for the future.
The former Northern Ireland Secretary welcomed the extra £20 billion of NHS funding promised by the Conservatives over the next five years. She has called for the NHS to deploy some of that new money on extra staff to help with the early diagnosis of cancer. She also wants it to deliver more GPs to ensure her constituents can get an appointment when they need one.
“I strongly support the NHS and its values. It is a much-loved institution in our country and I believe that it is vital that the NHS is there for people whenever they need it. So I wish the NHS a very Happy 70th Birthday and I pay tribute to the dedication of its staff."
"The extra £20 billion is something I strongly support. Those increased funds need to be used well to improve services for patients in key areas,” said Theresa.
“More people are surviving cancer than ever before but we still lag behind some other European countries. If we are going to close that gap, the NHS needs to recruit more specialist cancer staff like radiographers and radiologists, endoscopists as well as oncologists, nurses and surgeons.
“I am supporting Cancer Research UK in its campaign to fund more specialist staff and I have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister with parliamentary colleagues asking for this to happen.
“My constituents are also fed up if they have to wait days and days to see a GP. The Government has promised to recruit 5000 more GPs and I want that commitment to deliver more GPs for Barnet so my constituents can get in to see a GP when they need to.”