Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness, has welcomed the Government’s 10 year plan for the NHS, which sets out how it will build a health system fit for the future – helping to give everyone the best start in life, live well and age well. The plan is backed by a £20.5 billion settlement for the NHS.

During a statement to the House of Commons about the plan, Matt highlighted the need to focus on recruitment for areas which face staff shortages, such as Lincolnshire. He said,

“I welcome this plan and the Secretary of State’s energy. When he visited Pilgrim Hospital in my constituency, he saw that this is not solely about money, because a huge chunk of the challenge that the NHS faces is about the workforce. Within the workforce plans in this 10-year plan, will he pay particular attention to under-doctored areas such as Lincolnshire, where it is a huge challenge to produce the same outcomes that we see in other parts of the country?”

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock MP, who visited Pilgrim Hospital in Boston at Matt’s invitation last October, replied,

“My hon. Friend is dead right. It was a real pleasure to visit Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, where my grandmother worked as a nurse for 30 years, and to meet the staff. He is absolutely right about the recruitment challenges that they face, which is why a whole chapter of the report, and ongoing work, is dedicated to improving recruitment. When we put £20 billion into a public service, of course we will need more people to deliver it.”

Other key areas of the Plan, which was developed in partnership with clinicians and patients themselves, seek to improve out-of-hospital care, such as community health services, improve maternity safety and care, and prioritise use of the latest technology to tackle preventable diseases.

After the statement, Matt commented,

“I very much welcome the new NHS Long Term Plan, which will help people at every stage in life to live well, and access the best possible medical care should they need it. As I said in the Commons, having the right workforce is vital in achieving this, especially in areas such as Lincolnshire which have faced shortages, so I am particularly pleased with the Health Secretary’s assurance that the Plan includes work to improve NHS recruitment. I look forward to supporting this work at both a local and national level.”

• Matt’s question and the Health Secretary’s answer can be read via the following link: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-01-07/debates/DE5BAD29-C906-481B-8886-7A2CD833A58D/NHSLong-TermPlan#contribution-2752E2F6-81BD-48B6-8070-DD6C2DB11A35
• More information about the NHS Long Term Plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nhs-long-term-plan-launched