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James Cartlidge writes Member of Parliament for South Suffolk As in many previous years, this winter we have seen huge pressure on our National Health Service. In fact, the Tuesday following Christmas was the busiest day in the history of the NHS. No day since the creation of the NHS in 1948 has seen more people attending its hospitals than that day in December - little wonder then that we heard many stories of staff 'stretched' and struggling to cope. Quite simply, demand was unprecedented. Fortunately, our local health service coped relatively well, though of course many people had significant waits to be seen. In these circumstances one can sympathise very strongly with NHS staff placed under such pressure. I have nothing but the greatest respect for all those who work so hard on our wards and in our surgeries. My mother was a nurse and all four of my children were born on NHS maternity wards, with excellent service each time, particularly in Ipswich hospital. Nevertheless, we face a huge challenge and have to be open and honest about the task ahead. The Government has invested in the frontline and we have 11,000 more doctors and 10,300 more nurses than in May 2010. Yet demand has grown at an even faster rate and I entirely accept that more resources are required, and that means more cash, both for the NHS and social care. The next question is where that funding comes from. Some MPs are calling for a cross-party convention on how we fund the NHS. I welcome the idea in principle but to my mind any such project must surely be prepared to look at every option on the table if we are to build a lasting solution. For example, I believe pharmacies could play a much greater role in building truly integrated local healthcare. At a recent Parliamentary debate we heard how they could take over non-urgent services, relieving pressure on GPs and A&E. Ultimately there is no easy answer. Yet for all the stress and strain of NHS winter peak demand, one positive is that we may finally be moving to the broad, bold debate that could lead to lasting reform.
New optometrist joins team at D J Dunstone Practice
Derek Dunstone has been serving the community as an optometrist in Queen Street for the last 25 years. He has been joined by fellow optometrists Michael Giles and Holly Coleman who have been examining eyes in Hadleigh for 10 and 3 years respectfully. The Practice has expanded over the years and now has three consulting rooms as well as an imaging/visual fields room. The upstairs dispensing area has been recently refurbished with a large selection of stylish spectacle frames and sunglasses, including Polo Ralph Lauren, Ray-Ban, Elle, Paul & Joe and Esprit. The team are thrilled to be joined on March 6th 2017 by optometrist Andrew Dunstone, who is son of Derek and Sally. He has been qualified nine years and has been working in Scotland and, more recently, Gibraltar. He is interested in all aspects of optometry, including home visits and screening for diabetic retinopathy. Please see www.dunstoneinsight.com or telephone 01473 823755 for further information regarding all members of the Practice team or to make an appointment for an eye examination or to view spectacle frames.
D J Dunstone Optometry 3 QUEEN STREET, HADLEIGH
Dedicated to providing the best possible optometry services, including: • NHS & Private Eye Examinations • Retinal Imaging and Optical Coherance Tomography scans available • Dispensing of spectacles and contact lenses – fitted for comfort • Domiciliary (home) visits • Refractive surgery - assessment, referral & aftercare
To find out more please call in, telephone 01473 823755 or see www.dunstoneinsight.com www.hadleighcommunitynews.co.uk
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