14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New amublance stats show service at breaking point

New amublance stats show service at breaking point

Parliamentary news
New NHS Ambulance Service statistics have shown that for category C1-C2 calls, the average response time in December 2021 for England was the second longest ever, after October 2021. In addition more than 36,000 people in England who called 999 with a “category 2” condition such as a stroke or a heart attack waited almost an hour for an ambulance in December. Responding, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Ambulance services are at breaking point and it's the Government that is to blame. The Conservatives have run ambulance services into the ground with every single target being missed for the most severe cases. "Behind every single one of these statistics is a tragic personal story. "After months of failing to get a grip on the ambulance crisis, it’s…
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14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
6 million NHS waiting list – PM must apologise to patients being let down

6 million NHS waiting list – PM must apologise to patients being let down

Parliamentary news
Responding to the new statistics that show NHS waiting lists have grown to six million while A&E waiting times are the worst on record, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "Patients are being catastrophically let down by this government's woeful neglect of the NHS. "A&E waiting times are the worst on record, while millions are being left waiting in pain for an operation. "Boris Johnson was repeatedly warned about the terrible pressures facing our NHS and frontline staff, but chose to bury his head in the sand. He must apologise now to the millions of patients being let down. "An urgent strategy is now needed to improve morale and recruit more healthcare staff, to tackle the backlog, cut waiting times and offer every patient the care they deserve."
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Questions needs to be asked of Pennine Care after missed opportunities to save a life

Borough news, health and social care
Shadow Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and Crompton Councillor Louie Hamblett as written to the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Chair Councillor Colin McLaren to ask for an agenda item regarding the coroner’s report last year after multiple opportunities were missed to help the patient needs to be placed on the 18th January meeting. This is in regards to the community Eating Disorder Service to ensure what measure has and will be in place to prevent future deaths and what powers has been taken to ensure such actions. This comes after the news the trust had been ordered to take urgent action after a woman with anorexia died after opportunities to engage with health services were missed, following a coroner’s report last year. Councillor…
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05Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Vaccines Minister hasn’t got a clue on staff shortages

Vaccines Minister hasn’t got a clue on staff shortages

Parliamentary news
Responding to Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup's comments this morning - in which she could not say how NHS trusts have declared a 'critical incident', nor how many former teachers have returned to teaching - Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "If ever proof was needed that the Government is asleep at the wheel with this staff shortage crisis, the Vaccine Minister's non-answers this morning just about sum it up. "Our hospitals are at breaking point and schools are spread thin, yet hapless Ministers haven't got a clue about the true extent of the problems in these settings. "It's high time the Government gets a grip on this. Families deserve reassurance that their children's education won't be disrupted and that loved ones can get the care they need, when…
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24Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government admits all ambulance trusts in England on high alert

Government admits all ambulance trusts in England on high alert

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to host an emergency COBR meeting after it was confirmed all English ambulance trusts are at breaking point. In response to a written question by Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, the Government admitted that all ten ambulance trusts in England were at the highest alert level (Level Four) on 22 October 2021. This means all are simultaneously facing “extreme pressure” with delays across the country rising. The Government took over a month to respond to the question and has failed to make a statement to Parliament on the issue. It comes after the latest NHS figures revealed ambulance response times reached their highest levels on record in October. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency plan to support ambulance services…
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17Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No10 must publish Covid contract correspondence

No10 must publish Covid contract correspondence

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that several Conservative MPs put forward companies for the Covid contract ‘Fastrack VIP Lane’, in which they or someone close to them had an interest, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “With billions wasted on useless PPE by this Government over the pandemic, the public has a right to know who is responsible for this criminal level of waste. These leaked names are just more evidence of the cronyism and sleaze at the heart of this Conservative Government. “Not only do we need a public inquiry into corruption, but the Liberal Democrats are calling on No 10 to immediately publish all relevant correspondence of every MP that successfully or otherwise tried to access the Fastrack VIP Lane. “The public should not have to wait…
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13Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
UK not prepared for winter health pressures

UK not prepared for winter health pressures

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Royal College of Physicians findings that one in three doctors say their organisation is not prepared for winter, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “Health and care staff find themselves facing a huge backlog of care and record waiting times as they head into this winter. These stark figures show just how many are feeling burned out, overstretched, and deeply concerned about their ability to cope. “The fact that one-in-three doctors have concerns about the upcoming winter shows that the Government is not providing enough support to those working on the front lines. This is not only letting down staff, but letting down patients too. “We urgently need a long-term workforce plan to ensure that health and social care providers are both…
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03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Health and wellbeing must be front and centre in local plan development

Borough news
The Council’s vision for Oldham must include health and well-being as key to the development of the Borough and its regeneration, says local Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett. While the Council’s new local plan consultation includes them as objectives, they are nowhere to be seen in the vision statement, and that is a massive loss, says the shadow cabinet member for Health and Social Care. He said: “We want to have a thriving borough, where everyone is able to live their lives to the full. We can only achieve that through improvements to the local economy, so I entirely understand why that is there, but we are doing it so that people can live happy, healthy lives. “If we do not include that in our vision of what our town…
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19Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cycling network improvements targeted by Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

Cycling network improvements targeted by Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

Borough news
Saddleworth Liberal Democrats are already working on the next round of cycle routes for the district, even before the current proposals are brought forward.  Having set key priorities for the network – connecting village centres, travel interchanges and parks – they drew up key routes that would connect existing cycle routes to those areas, and have put forward those proposals to the highways engineers in charge of the Active Travel Fund plans.  Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It’s really important to have a vision for how we are going to join up the existing cycle routes that we have, and with new work that is going ahead. “For example, the routes in Greenfield are going to connect a new Tameside loop route. I’ve proposed that the next extension should connect…
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22Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New research shows “shocking” impact of COVID-19

New research shows “shocking” impact of COVID-19

Parliamentary news
Reacting to new research from the Health Foundation that found 1.5 million potential years of life have been lost to COVID-19 in the UK, with each life being cut short by 10 years on average, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, Munira Wilson MP said: “There are no words to describe the pain the country has experienced over the last year and these shocking findings are yet more evidence of the Government’s failure to tackle this virus. “On the anniversary of the first lockdown in the UK it is clear that the Government has learnt few lessons in this last year. They continue to preside over an expensive and ineffective Test and Trace programme, a quarantine system full of holes and a self-isolation system that penalises the low…
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