This week, Labour has been setting out our plans to get our NHS back on its feet because it’s vital we rebuild the NHS and that people can again trust that the NHS will be there for us when we need it. 

The Conservatives cut 2,000 GPs, and now patients find it impossible to get an appointment. They wasted £3 billion on a top-down reorganisation, instead of investing in the equipment and technology a modern health service requires. They forced nurses out on strike for the first time in history, leaving more patients waiting for treatment than ever before. 

It’s clear the longer the Tories are in power, the longer patients wait. 

In North West London just 71% of patients receive vital cancer care within two months. That could be the difference between life and death. 

Labour knows how valuable the NHS is. That’s why we will pull every available lever to get patients seen faster. We will pay NHS staff extra to deliver 2 million more appointments and operations a year at evenings and weekends and double the number of scanners, so patients with conditions like cancer are diagnosed earlier, giving them the best chance of survival.  

Under the Tories, we have also seen the slow death of NHS dentistry. Between 2020 and 2022, 124 less dentists were providing NHS dentistry in our area – that’s over 10% of NHS dentists. But the state of dentistry is so bad that the number one cause of hospital admissions among children is tooth decay and people in our community are pulling their own teeth out with pliers because they can’t get an NHS dentist.  

That’s why Labour has put forward our Dentistry Rescue Plan, providing funding for 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and make sure everyone who needs an NHS dentist can get one, as well as incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need and rebuilding the service for the long-term. 

Under the Tories we also face a mental health crisis. I hear from parents everyday who can’t get referred for SEND diagnoses and treatment. They’re scared for their children’s futures. In Hounslow, it takes over 6 weeks between being referred to CAMHS and just a first appointment. 

We will ensure there is more mental health support by recruiting an extra 8,500 mental health professionals, introducing professional support in every secondary school and an open-access mental health hub for children and young people in every community.  

Our plans will be paid for by closing tax loopholes for non doms, so that wealthy people who live and work in Britain pay their taxes here too, and ending tax breaks on private schools. 

Labour will train thousands more doctors, nurses and midwives, and arm them with the latest technology, so patients get the best quality care. We will bring back the family doctor, so patients can easily book appointments to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose. 

Prevention is better than cure, so Labour will shift the focus from simply treating sickness to preventing it in the first place. The NHS will become a Neighbourhood Health Service, with healthcare available on your doorstep and from the comfort of your own home. 

The last Labour government delivered the shortest waits and highest patient satisfaction in history. We did it before and we can do it again.