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COMMENT
Wednesday November 1 | 2023
Mike Martin Liberal Democrats
Mike Martin is the prospective Liberal Democrat MP for the Tunbridge Wells constituency. He is a former army officer, a Senior Fellow at King’s College London, and the author of multiple books
The Tories damaged the NHS – the Lib Dems are ready to fix it I SPEND two days a week knocking on doors and listening to voters – by far the favourite part of my week, and one from which my wife says I come back energised and excited. Despite the long days – come rain or shine – it is an honour for people to share their hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations with me. This – literally – is what galvanises me and drives me to want to be an MP: to solve problems and make our country better.
these long-standing issues ahead of the next General Election. Firstly, we would reform the NHS constitution to create a right to see your GP within seven days, or 24 hours if urgent, making it the responsibility of both the health service and Government to ensure this happens.
‘Overall, there are fewer GPs locally than in 2016 despite Conservative promises in 2019 to recruit more’
Incompetent Something that repeatedly comes up is getting a GP appointment. For some, desperate to see their doctor, the wait is long. Others give up entirely. For those who can afford it, they go private. None of these outcomes are satisfactory and it is a damning indictment of this incompetent and tired government that the basics don’t work. Overall, there are fewer GPs locally than in 2016 despite Conservative promises in 2019 to recruit more. Because of that, local GPs are looking after 400 more patients than the average in England leading to the ratio of patients to GPs being among the highest in the country. So this is why people tell me it takes several weeks to get an appointment with their doctor. At the other end of the healthcare system, there is a long-running crisis in social care, which the Conservatives have repeatedly failed
to tackle despite their 13 years in Government. Our analysis indicates that there are more than 4,000 unfilled social care vacancies in Kent alone. Each individual case puts great strain on individuals and families, but in practical terms, many people are stuck in hospitals when they ought to be discharged and cared for at home.
It is clear to me that the Conservatives have done a great deal of damage to the NHS. These basics are so important to everyone’s ability to get on with their lives healthily, and economically and socially active. The Liberal Democrats have already announced their main policies for tackling
Secondly, we would introduce free homebased care for all so that people who can be discharged from hospital, but still need some care, can be discharged. We would couple this with the introduction of a carer’s minimum wage – £2 on top of the national minimum wage – to increase the recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce. Both of these policies – fully costed in our manifesto when it comes out – will lead to enormous savings in NHS costs due to huge reductions in bed-blocking by people who would otherwise be discharged. It is only by getting these basics right that we can ever hope to live in a better country. A functioning healthcare system means more people in work contributing to the economy and to the country.