LAURA KYRKE-SMITH MP urges residents to help ‘fix our NHS’ in ‘national conversation’ about its future

Laura Kyrke-Smith MP meets NHS England's Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard in Parliament (Image: Laura Kyrke-Smith)

Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith is encouraging residents to share their experiences of the NHS and ideas to "help fix our health service" following the launch of a major public consultation. 

The biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth has been launched today (Monday 21 October), as the entire country is called upon to share their experiences of our health service and help shape the government’s 10 Year Health Plan. 

Members of the public, as well as NHS staff and experts are welcome to share their experiences, views and ideas for fixing the NHS via the online platform, change.nhs.uk, which will be live until the start of next year, and available via the NHS App. 

Kyrke-Smith, who has recently taken on a leading role in driving forward NHS reform, said it was vital that the experience of Aylesbury constituency residents inform and shape the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, which will be published next Spring. 

The MP said, “Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you see first-hand what’s great, but also what isn’t working. We need your ideas to help turn the NHS around across Aylesbury and the villages. 

“I know the NHS locally is not delivering as it should for patients and NHS staff alike: from the GPs surgeries struggling to deal with demand for appointments, to those patients waiting for operations.

“That’s why I urge everyone to go to change.nhs.uk today and help us build a health service fit for the future.”

The start of this national conversation on the future of the NHS follows on from Lord Darzi’s independent report into the health service that diagnosed its condition. Lord Darzi concluded the NHS is in a ‘critical condition’ with surging waiting lists and a deterioration in the nation’s underlying health, identifying serious and widespread problems for people accessing services. 

NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: “NHS staff are facing an unprecedented number of challenges - with record demand for care, alongside growing pressures from an ageing population, rising levels of multiple long-term illnesses and patients with more complex needs. And they are often hampered by working in crumbling buildings with outdated tech, meaning too many patients are waiting too long for care they need.

“So, it is vital the health service innovates and adapts – as it has always done throughout its 76-year history – to design and deliver an NHS fit for the future.

“It is your experiences – good, bad, and sometimes frustrating – that we need to help shape this once in a generation opportunity, so please get involved!”

The government has committed to double the number of cancer scanners, create a ‘dentistry rescue plan’, recruit 8,500 additional mental health staff and cut NHS waiting times by providing 40,000 more appointments per week.