Primary Care & Cancer Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats

Our health and well-being depend on a whole system of primary care that starts in our communities - in GP surgeries, dentists, and pharmacies - and extends to the hospitals, including cancer hubs and clinics like the Macmillan Butterfly Centre at Epsom Hospital, as well as the nurses, carers, and specialists who support us when we need it most. 

The NHS and wider care system are among the greatest achievements of British society, built on the core principle that everyone should have access to high-quality care, based on  clinical need rather than the ability to pay.

This fair and compassionate system reflects the best of who we are, but right now, that promise is under immense strain. GP appointments are harder to secure, cancer waiting lists are growing, dental surgeries have no capacity for NHS patients, and ultimately too  many people are being left without the care and support they need.

That’s why I’m proud to have been appointed the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer – a role that brings together the pressing need to fix the frontline of our health service.

Since being elected, I’ve passionately campaigned on the crisis facing our local healthcare services, and I believe it is absolutely vital to focus on improving access and services to frontline care.

As the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer, my priorities are clear:

• Guaranteeing timely access to primary care – ensuring everyone has the right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours for urgent cases, backed by 8,000 more GPs and named GPs for everyone over 70 or with long-term conditions.
• Ending ‘dental deserts’ - guaranteeing access to NHS dentistry for urgent and emergency care, ending the crisis in dental provision.
• Strengthening community pharmacy services – expanding prescribing rights and public health roles for pharmacists to ease pressure on GPs and improve patient access to care.
• Boosting cancer treatment and survival rates – introducing a guarantee for 100% of cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of urgent referral, replacing ageing radiotherapy equipment, and increasing specialist cancer nursing capacity.
• Investing in prevention and public health – reversing cuts to the public health grant and establishing a Health Creation Unit to improve population health and tackle inequalities.

I am working hard on these priorities, to make a difference in a real, tangible way