This morning, both I and Gillingham MP, Rehman Chishti, were present at Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Health in support of the issues affecting Medway, such as the status of Medway Maritime Hospital and the closure of single-handed GP practices.
In Rochester we are facing the closure of two single-handed GP practices due to a retirement and a suspension with no long-term replacement, making it more difficult for our growing local population to access this vital medical service. In response to my question about what steps the Secretary of State is taking to maintain the appropriate access to local GPs for residents in Medway, I was encouraged that he referred to previous engagement with local Medway GPs during the past election. I was assured that his Department was reversing the historic underfunding for general practices by increasing funding over this Parliament by more than 4% per year for primary care and practices to boost care over this Parliament.
While this is a welcome step, I will continue to raise the GP access shortfalls in Rochester to ensure residents are able to access the best possible care with as much ease as is possible. I remain committed to pushing NHS England to review this matter and set out a clear plan on how it will managed for the long term. To this end, I will be requesting a meeting with NHS England to air my dissatisfaction with the responses I have received thus far.
I was also pleased that Rehman Chishti MP was able to raise the recent CQC report on Medway Maritime Hospital and ask the Secretary of State what further support his Department can offer to our local hospital to help bring about its change in fortune that local residents so deserve and need. The Secretary of State confirmed that he met yesterday with the Chief Inspector of Hospitals to discuss Medway Maritime Hospital and how to move forwards. Medway Maritime now has over 106 more doctors and 26 more nurses in the Medway NHS Trust over past 5 years, and the Secretary of State highlighted how a new link with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London is now bearing fruitful results.
Rightly, the Secretary of State acknowledged that there is lots more to do and these problems must not be swept under the carpet, but dealt with quickly so that local residents can access the necessary safe care required.
Again, I am grateful that both I and Rehman were able to raise these two pertinent issues to the Secretary of State for Health, and, as ever, our local NHS service remains a key priority of mine.