David Rutley

MP for Macclesfield

HAPPY New Year to all Macclesfield Express readers.

Our National Health Service will continue to play a vital role across our communities in the year ahead.

That’s why I’m pleased the Government will put in law its commitment to spend an extra £33.9 billion on the NHS – a key part of the recent Queen’s Speech.

This funding will be vital in helping the work of our much-valued doctors and nurses facing increasing demand.

2020 will be an important year for our local NHS. In April, the four Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Groups plan to merge into a single ‘NHS Cheshire’ CCG.

This is designed to further strengthen integration and collaboration across Cheshire, by developing new integrated care partnerships to deliver more joined-up healthcare in our local communities.

We also need to move forward with better integrating health and social care.

In the Queen’s Speech, the Government confirmed extra funding for social care, and the launch of important cross-party work to build consensus for much-needed longterm reform.

A fundamental principle will be that nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it.

Having successfully campaigned to keep adult mental health beds in Macclesfield, I’m pleased that work continues at pace to deliver the planned 41 mental health beds for adults and dementia patients, with the aim of opening the new wards – to be named Silk and Mulberry – at the end of the month.

The work of local charities, such as the Bridgend Centre in Bollington and Just Drop-In in Macclesfield, remains vital in promoting emotional wellbeing in our communities.

This will also be the year to make real progress with the new Christie Cancer Centre in Macclesfield.

I will continue to support ongoing initiatives to raise the £23 million needed to deliver this vital