St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire Election candidates on NHS

Stephen Ferguson (Independent)

Stephen Ferguson is the Independent candidate for the constituency. (Image: Stephen Ferguson)

"Remember the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony? We celebrated an NHS where waiting times were short and patients happy. An efficient healthcare system — the envy of the world.

And 12 years later, the NHS is on its knees. Covid made things worse, but the decline started long before. Like watching a wrecking ball in slow motion. We’re waiting longer for everything. Ambulances, A&E, operations, GP appointments, cancer referrals... 

We can’t even find an NHS dentist, never mind book an appointment! And beds are blocked because social care is just as broken. There are many personal tragedies wrapped up in this story. Lost loved ones, and those left to cope with preventable conditions.

So how do we fix it? Efficiencies can be made. I believe we have to find new and better ways of doing things. 

We must better coordinate the NHS, social care and public health. But clearly the NHS also needs massive investment. It might sound expensive, but we can’t afford not to fix it. The Conservatives crashed the economy. Funding public services requires growth, and we need a healthy workforce. Just as we must invest in our young people — our future — so must we invest in a healthy NHS."

Ian Sollom (Lib Dem)

Ian Sollom is the Lib Dem candidate for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire. (Image: Ian Sollom.)

"When my son was born 12 years ago with a lung problem, the NHS was there with the intensive care he needed to survive and thrive. I remember what it meant to have access to care when you needed it.

That’s why it is so unfair for people waiting for treatment today that things have got so much worse.

Over recent months, I have been conducting a survey of the experiences of the constituency’s residents. The number of people worried about being able to get a GP appointment or to register with an NHS dentist is overwhelming.

This Conservative government’s neglect has caused huge damage to our local health services.

We urgently need a stronger NHS for our area.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to see their GP within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need.

We would guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care, ending DIY dentistry and ‘dental deserts’.

We would improve early access to mental health services by establishing mental health hubs for young people in every community."

Bev Smith (Party of Women)

Bev White is the Party of Women candidate for the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency. (Image: Bev White)

"The inability to access GPs and long waiting lists are symptoms of wider issues within the NHS, rather than the cause.

"There is a trend to remove the words describing the female sexed body from the NHS literature, increasingly we see articles referring to ‘people with a cervix’ and ‘birthing person’, this obfuscation of language is concerning given the fact that women are underrepresented in clinical studies, there is a poor understanding of some female specific health issues.

"Women are more likely to be viewed as a nuisance if they go back for repeat visits, which can delay access to treatment or services.

"Adding deciphering of official language to staff’s workload is unlikely to increase access to GPs or reduce waiting lists, though it will add to the cost of running the NHS."

Marianna Masters (Labour)

Marianna Masters is the Labour candidate for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire. (Image: Newsquest)

"When Labour governs, the NHS thrives. In 2010, after 13 years of Labour government, waiting lists were at record lows. But over the past fourteen years we have seen this legacy squandered. Waiting lists are now at all-time highs.

"When our loved ones need the NHS we need it to be there and we need it to work.

"While NHS staff go above and beyond every day, I know that not everyone gets the service they deserve. As an elected NHS Trust governor, I’ve helped shape the design of healthcare services, with a particular focus on health inequalities, and the health and cost benefits of a preventative approach, through early intervention in the community around diet, exercise, drugs and alcohol – which often disguise mental health conditions.

"There are tremendous pressures on the NHS workforce – an unhealthy spiral of falling recruitment and decreasing retention. Access to skills training for young people and for people looking for a more rewarding career would strengthen and expand the NHS workforce.

"Labour understands what is needed to build an NHS fit for the future. In government we will ensure the NHS meets its founding principles from when we founded it in 1945, that ‘the best health services should be available, free for all."

The candidates for the St Neots and Mid Cambs constituency are:

Anthony Browne (Conservative) 

Marianna Masters (Labour)

Ian Sollom (Lib Dems)

Kathryn Fisher (Green Party)

Guy Lachlan (Reform)

Stephen Ferguson (Independent)

Bev White (Party for Women).