‘Heat has exposed even more Tory-caused problems’
THIS week, record temperatures have been reached across the country, with Barnsley experiencing heat into the high 30s.
In preparation for this heatwave, the Met Office issued a rare red warning, meaning there was reasonable concern that the general population – not just those most vulnerable to extreme heat – could experience health issues including serious, life-threatening illness.
In particularly dangerous and unprecedented circumstances like these, it is vital that our NHS is in a strong position, able to offer extra help to those effected.
However, thanks to 12 years of Tory governments, our NHS is instead experiencing deep, long-term problems, placing it under immense pressure even without the added demands of a heatwave.
Even before the pandemic, the NHS was being mismanaged, with waiting lists for treatment at a record high and staff shortages reaching 100,000 across the country.
Now, after the impact of Covid-19, there are over 17,500 people waiting for treatment at Barnsley Hospital alone, with some having been on the list over a year, often in deep pain and discomfort.
In emergency NHS services, the situation is equally as worrying. Last week it was reported that every ambulance trust is now on highest level of alert due to extreme pressures.
Indeed, stroke and heart attack victims are now being left to wait an average of 51 minutes for an ambulance, which for some, is tragically too late.
This same pattern of problems is echoed across the entirety of the NHS – from dentistry, where 21 per cent of local dentists in Barnsley have been lost, to GP practices, where constituents have repeatedly told me they can’t even get through to their surgeries, let alone book a face-to-face appointment.
Further, in A and E, nearly 30 per cent of people waited more than four hours to be seen last month, against a target of five per cent which has not been met since July 2015.
Though this particular heatwave is now at its end, it has highlighted once again what we already knew: our NHS is crying out for a fresh start.
Our doctors, nurses and support staff work tirelessly to keep us safe and healthy, but they need and deserve better support in order to do their jobs.
After a decade of Conservative rule, however, the only way it will get this is through a change in government.
If Labour were in power, we would build an NHS truly fit for the future and get patients seen on time.
We would provide the NHS with the staff, equipment, and modern technology required, and ultimately, ensure healthcare is available for us, free at the point of use, when we need it.
After all, that’s what our National Health Service was built to do.