I have invited many Government Ministers to Staffordshire Moorlands and was delighted when the Minister of State for Health, Stephen Hammond MP took up my invitation to visit Leek Moorlands Hospital last week.
The Minister started the visit by meeting senior representatives of health and care from the CCG, the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) and the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) as well as local Councillors to hear about the ongoing consultation and the exciting possibilities for the Leek Moorlands Hospital and Hub.
He then held a staff roundtable with MPFT front line staff drawn from various hospital services and was later given a tour of the Minor Injuries Unit.
It was lovely to be able to show him the Hospital and especially to arrange for him to sit down and talk to some of the hardworking staff. I know that the Health Minister was particularly pleased to meet them and do the roundtable discussion as it gave him a chance to hear first hand from the front line.
In a historic five-year budget settlement, the Government is providing an extra £20.5 billion for the NHS by 2023-24, while NHS England has developed a Long Term Plan to ensure every penny is well spent and patient outcomes are improved. We are committed to investing in our public services and the NHS is our top spending priority.
I believe that the people of the Moorlands deserve high quality modern health care and will continue to be a loud voice on your behalf to make sure that we have a hospital and hub with the very best healthcare, fit for the 21st century.
I continue to urge everyone in the Moorlands to have your say and take part in the consultation which runs until 17th March.