Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith hosts meeting on the future of the NHS

Residents from across Aylesbury constituency came together last Friday (24 January) to help shape a new 10-year plan for the NHS.

The event was organised by Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith. Attendees included a former GP, health workers, carers, mental health advocates and many others with an interest in the future of the health service.

The consultation event held at Kingsbrook View Primary Academy is one of many around the country that have been organised for members of the public to give their views on how best to reform the health service via the Government's Change NHS consultation.

The consultation will help shape the Government’s 10-year health plan, which is set to be published in the spring of this year.

Kyrke-Smith said: “I organised this event to make sure the voices of people in Aylesbury and the villages are heard as part of the plan for the future of the NHS.

“The plans for NHS reform should not be top-down or led from behind a desk in Westminster. They must be built in partnership with the people who use our NHS, the staff who work in it, NHS leaders, health experts, and the wider public.

“Whether it’s struggling to get a GP appointment, being stuck on an NHS waiting list, or the inability to register for an NHS dentist, everyone has personal insights into the challenges and opportunities for the NHS.

“I’m pleased that we were able to have such useful and productive conversations that will feed into the national conversation. Thank you to everyone who attended".

The MP serves as Labour’s National Health Mission Delivery Champion, which involves working with Ministers to deliver on the Government’s mission to rebuild the NHS.

One attendee said afterwards: "I thought the event was very well organised, and [I] was impressed with the number of issues we managed to discuss on our tables in the time available. I am very pleased to have attended."

The Government has described the wider consultation as the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth back in 1948.

When the 10-year plan is published later this year the Government says it will be underlined by three major shifts in healthcare.

These will be going from hospital care to care in the community, analogue to digital technology and from sickness to prevention.

Members of the public as well as clinicians and experts can submit ideas for the future of the NHS by searching change.nhs.uk online.