I will champion better access to GPs and other health services across the constituency, which are becoming stretched as demand increases. I will also champion South Cambridgeshire as the global centre for biomedical research, which is leading to huge leaps forward in the treatments available for patients.
The rapid growth in our population in South Cambs has put pressure on local services, which have struggled to keep pace. When I grew up in Fowlmere, we used to go to the local village GP, but that service was withdrawn. Cambourne is now officially a town, but does not have the range of healthcare facilities needed for such a large population. In other parts the constituency, GP practices have merged, meaning patients often struggle to see their own GP in their local practice and instead must travel miles for appointments.
We are lucky to have two great NHS hospitals, Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth, in South Cambridgeshire. These hospitals attract the best clinicians from around the world and provide life-saving and life-changing care, but they are facing an increasing challenge to meet the demands of our growing and ageing population. I support the proposals for a new dedicated childrens hospital at Addenbrooke’s.
Nationally, we have an ageing population with ever more complex healthcare needs. There has been huge progress made in treatments, thanks to work such as the incredible life sciences and biomedical research going on in South Cambridgeshire - a source of huge pride for our region. But this increasing complexity in healthcare provision places huge pressure on our NHS to continue to provide the excellent level of care that our population rightly expects and deserves. I will campaign for continuity of research funding after Brexit, and also to ensure access to scientific and clinical talent from around the world.
