Fred Thomas, the newly-elected MP for Plymouth Moor View has written to the Health Secretary to secure a ‘cast iron commitment’ that the new government will complete the construction of a new emergency centre at Derriford.
In his first parliamentary intervention as MP for Plymouth Moor View, Fred Thomas MP said that the new facility will be vital for the sake of both patients and ‘selfless’ NHS staff.
He called it is his ‘mission’ to see through the construction to ‘get patients seen on time’, as well as improving GP provision, social care, mental health and more in Plymouth.
With some 22,000 Plymouth residents on an NHS dental waiting list, Mr Thomas also called on the government to get to work straight away on improving provision.
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Derriford Hospital has declared five Critical Incidents so far this year and it has some of the longest ambulance handover times in the country.
READ OUR DERRIFORD HOSPITAL REPORTING HERE
Mr Thomas said that the Health Secretary Wes Streeting shares his determination to improve the NHS, and added that he has every confidence that the new government will deliver for patients.
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The Health Secretary has pledged 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week to clear the record NHS waiting list of 7.6 million patients and 700,000 extra NHS dental appointments a year and new incentives for dentists to work in under-served areas.
Fred Thomas added:
“Our NHS in Plymouth is in crisis. It will be my mission as your MP to make sure the new emergency facility at Derriford is delivered as soon as possible.
“I am just as determined to get NHS dentistry back on its feet, and to improve GP provision, social care, mental health and more. I know that Wes shares my determination for our NHS.“None of this is to detract from the selfless work of NHS staff in Plymouth. We must rescue our health service both for the sake of both patients and staff.”
Marie Curie healthcare assistants provide support for Derriford Emergency Department
