My statement about why the NHS is my Priority
I recently spoke with a resident whose family member began showing signs of dementia. They booked an assessment with the NHS, knowing that once assessed, they would receive more support. However, the NHS appointment was 12 weeks away, so they opted to go private.
The private clinic performed a brain scan, which came back inconclusive. Two weeks later, another brain scan on a different machine also came back inconclusive. They were then asked to return for another scan on the original machine, which again was inconclusive. Frustrated, they decided to wait for the NHS appointment.
When the NHS appointment finally arrived, the specialist conducted some memory games, asked the family member to write about something they were passionate about, and asked a few questions. Within 40 minutes, they had a diagnosis, all without the need for expensive machinery.
This story is a powerful reminder that private healthcare is not always cost-effective, nor does it always prioritize your health.
It can also create opportunities for unnecessary upselling of medical treatments.
We must protect and invest in our NHS!
Olivers' aims for our Health Services
The Liberal Democrat Fair Deal includes:
✅ Accessible GP Services: Ensuring everyone can see their GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if urgent, investing in the training, recruitment, and retention of GPs and freeing up more of their time.
✅ Overhauling NHS Dentistry: Ending the rise in “dental deserts” by improving the availability of NHS appointments and eliminating the burden of private care costs, both of which are leading to people performing DIY dentistry - with devastating outcomes.
✅ Boosting Cancer Survival Rates: Establishing a legal right for cancer patients to start treatment within two months of an urgent referral.
✅ Healthcare Workforce Strengthening: Recruiting, training, and retaining more doctors and nurses.
✅ Tackling the Ambulance Crisis: Addressing the life-threatening response times in our ambulance services including by providing emergency funding.
✅ Fixing the Social Care Crisis: Carers should be properly paid and valued for the essential, skilled work they do. Everyone deserves high-quality social care if they need it. We’ll be covering our full plan for social care in an upcoming edition of our ‘For a Fair Deal’ series.
