Priti calls for more funding for health and social care in Essex
Following a statement from the Government announcing an extra £250m for health and social care services, the Witham MP, Priti Patel, speaking in the House of Commons on 9th January, highlighted the need for more GPs, local health facilities and support for Essex County Council, with social care.
Priti called on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay to provide her with “specific details of when, on all three of those areas, the money he has announced today will come to the frontline in Essex.” Mr Barclay agreed to write to Priti “with further details.”
Priti commented: “Doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff working in health and social care are working hard every day supporting local patients and residents. We all know of the pressures that these services are under and we need more investment in Essex to support these services, reduce delays at hospitals and get more healthcare delivered in our local communities.”
Copy of text from House of Commons Debate, 9 January 2023, Official Report, Columns 294:
Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)
The Secretary of State speaks about getting more people treated in the community, and I think we all support that. He will know that in my constituency we have a higher than national average patient-to-GP ratio. It is a major problem for us and has been for a long time. We are short of diagnostic facilities and Essex County Council needs more resources to deal with adult social care for the very reasons he has spoken about. Will he please write to me—he will not be able to do it from the Dispatch Box today—with specific details of when, on all three of those areas, the money he has announced today will come to the frontline in Essex? Our doctors and nurses need the money and resources to do what they joined the profession for: to provide the care they really believe in to members of the public.
Steve Barclay (Secretary of State for Health and Social Care)
First, I am very happy to write to my right hon. Friend with further details. For the benefit of the House, in relation to the £500 million announced in the autumn statement, local authorities gave the Department and NHS England their data returns on Friday. We will have that data, which I will be able to share more specifically in relation to the £500 million. The £250 million for NHS England announced today is for very urgent delivery into systems and that will be going out extremely quickly.