Emma Reynolds, Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East and Shadow Housing Minister, voted in the House of Commons in favour of more investment in the NHS. Emma supported a Labour motion which called for an extra £2.5 billion a year of funding for the health service.Emma said, “The NHS is under unprecedented pressure across the country. Part of that pressure is due to an ageing and growing population. However, the truth is that this Tory-led government has mismanaged the NHS and therefore made the situation worse. It went ahead with an expensive top down re-organisation of our health service which has cost billions and caused unnecessary upheaval.

“Attendances at hospital A&E departments increased by 60,000 in the last four years of the Labour government. Yet, during the first four years of the current government, attendances have increased by 600,000. That is largely the result of decisions taken by this government, such as cuts to adult social care, the abolition of NHS Direct, the closure of almost one in four walk-in centres and removing the GP access guarantee. One of the big problems is that elderly people are being kept in hospital due to a shortage of nursing care places thanks to this government’s cuts to council budgets.

“I voted for Labour Party’s plans to raise an extra £2.5 billion a year for the NHS, funded by measures including a tax on properties worth over £2 million. This will help to ease the current pressure on our health service and ensure it is able to give people the care they need. This extra money is enough to pay for 20,000 extra nurses, 8,000 more GPs, 5,000 new homecare workers and 3,000 more midwives. Labour will also ensure that everyone is guaranteed a GP appointment within 48 hours. Unfortunately, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats voted against this much needed extra money for the NHS and UKIP didn’t vote at all.“

January 2015