Last week in Parliament saw a number of important votes for
Brexit take place, all of which were carried, meaning we are now edging closer
to officially leaving the European Union.
Related to this, at the beginning of the week the Prime
Minister announced an extra £20 billion a year in real terms for the National
Health Service by 2023/24, ensuring patients receive world-class care, as part
of our long-term plan for the NHS.
This funding in their 70th birthday year is part of a
five-year budget settlement for the NHS.
Crucially, the extra funding will come in part from the
‘Brexit dividend’ – money we will no longer send to the European Union after we
have left – and the country will be asked to contribute a bit more for the NHS
in a fair and balanced way.
The Government has increased the NHS budget every year we
have been in power. This further historic long term funding boost will secure
the future of this vital service for generations to come, meaning patients will
benefit from improved cancer survival rates, there will be better mental health
care, and more doctors and nurses in our hospitals.
In return, the NHS will produce a new, clinically led,
long-term plan – setting out how the money will be used to deliver our vision
for the health service and to ensure every penny is well spent.
Of course, in recent years we have already seen increased
general funding for the NHS in Cornwall, with a year on year increase since the
Government came into power.
We have also recently seen work start on the construction of
the long-needed mental health inpatient facility for young people in Cornwall,
another £4m investment to Cornwall from the Government.
With my Cornish MP colleagues I lobbied the Government for
additional funding for Adult Social Care and was very pleased to see
announcement of the Improved Better Care Fund in March 2017.
The Government
granted Cornwall Council an additional £24m over the next three years for adult
social care to go towards improving social care in Cornwall.
Furthermore, Royal Cornwall Hospital is one of 74 sites from
around the country that has been offered £30m as part of the ‘Core 24’ standard
for mental health liaison, meaning a fully-staffed team will be operating 24/7
in the hospital, offering a one-hour response to emergency mental health
referrals in A&E.
So this is great news for the NHS nationally and locally. I
will now be working with the other Cornish MPs and NHS services in Cornwall to
ensure that we get the right amount of funds for our county.
My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and
work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support.
The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no
appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on
then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or
office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only,
advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at:
www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
