Reading West and Mid Berkshire MP Olivia Bailey urges public to engage in consultation that will shape the future of the NHS.

THE MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire has urged the public to engage in consultation that will shape the future of the NHS for a decade, writes Local Democracy Reporter James Aldridge

NHS England is currently engaging in the ‘Change NHS’ consultation to listen to the views of the public while it devises its 10-year plan.

The focus of the plan is to deliver on the ‘three shifts’ which are moving care from hospitals to communities, changing from analogue to digital, and focusing on prevention, not just treatment.

Labour MP Olivia Bailey joined neighbours at an in-person consultation event in Calcot with Laura Kyrke-Smith, the Labour MP for Aylesbury, the Government’s Health Mission Lead.

During the event, residents shared their experiences of using the NHS, as well as their ideas for how to improve it.

Mrs Bailey said: “We all know the challenges facing the NHS after 14 years of mismanagement and decline under the Conservatives.

“Whether it’s struggling to get a GP appointment, or being stuck on an NHS waiting list.

“So, I am very grateful to the residents who shared their experiences and their ideas on the future of the NHS at the consultation event – it was a really thoughtful conversation with lots of interesting ideas.”

Wes Streeting, the Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Today the NHS is going through the worst crisis in its history. But while the NHS is broken, it’s not beaten. Together, we can fix it.

“Whether you use the NHS or work in it, you see first-hand what’s great, but also what isn’t working. We need your ideas to help turn the NHS around.

“In order to save the things we love about the NHS, we need to change it. Our 10 Year Health Plan will transform the NHS to make it fit for the future, and it will have patients’ and staff’s fingerprints all over it.

“I urge everyone to go to Change.NHS.uk today and help us build a health service fit for the future.”

The event took place earlier this month.

You can still take part in the consultation online at www.change.nhs.uk

Earlier this year, the Labour Government announced that a project for a new Royal Berkshire Hospital would be delayed until 2035-39 – more than a decade away.

The previous Conservative Government delayed the project until after 2030.