On Monday the Prime Minister chose the world famous Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to announce her totally unachievable so-called “long-term plan” for the NHS. Why didn’t the PM go to the Liverpool Royal Hospital to launch her NHS plan? She could have taken the time to see first-hand the shocking, crumbling state of the old building with fractured pipes repeatedly flooding the hospital shows the appalling conditions staff and patients are having to endure, the result of her Government’s neglect of Liverpool’s NHS. 

The Tories have already done huge damage to the NHS – hundreds of nurses and health workers have left their jobs, the brand new Royal Liverpool Hospital sits empty, Social Care provided by councils in Liverpool and Knowsley is under huge pressure due to £millions of central Government cuts and funding for public health services was cut by £85million just before Christmas.

The Prime Minister’s plan completely fails to provide any framework for the future of the NHS workforce in the face of Brexit and loss of the EU employees that make up a significant of it. This is despite there being 100,000 vacancies across the NHS, with unfilled positions for 40,000 nurses and 9,000 doctors. By 2030, it’s estimated we’ll be faced with 250,000 vacancies. This is something that the Government must urgently address.

Adding to all this Theresa May seems to have completely forgotten to mention the huge uncertainty that will be caused by Brexit and its potentially disastrous effect on our economy and the obvious impact that leaving the EU will have on our NHS. Alder Hey itself received £56 million in financing from the European Investment Bank to help it get built and 114 doctors, nurses and health visitors at Alder Hey are EU nationals. How can we guarantee the future of our NHS without knowing the future of the country? Tory Governments never look after our NHS, only a Labour Government can properly fund and look after our NHS into the future.

Liverpool Labour members and Councillors have made it clear that people in Liverpool aren’t going to stand for this Tory Government’s empty promises and lies about the funding of our NHS. We deserve more and a Labour Government that will deliver it. Well done to Halewood Branch Labour party for attending the PM’s visit and getting our message across!