Latest Lib Dem MP, Helen Morgan, takes her seat
Lovely to see Helen Morgan sworn is as the Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire in Parliament today.
https://youtu.be/ujbFuJyA0tY
Wiltshire Liberal Democrats are proud of our part in helping to get Helen elected.
Just a few hours after being sworn in, Helen was asking the Prime Minister about the crisis in the ambulance services around the UK, and specifically in her constiuency.
Rural communities struggle due to long distances and accessing the services. At the end of December, unions speaking about South Western Ambulance service highlighted that there is "no light at the end of the tunnel" as long ambulance waiting times continue across south west England.
Delays are being blamed on ambulances being tied up waiting to hand over patients at hospitals. South Western Ambulance Service said it was experiencing "very high demand" across the region. South West ambulance delays expected to continue - BBC News
Today the Prime Minister said little apart from stating a few hundred more ambulance staff are employed in the last few years. It is not acceptable to adopt such a cavaliar approach when residents are struggling to access hospital services and ambulances are delayed waiting to access hospital services. These delays impact on all residents and patient safety.
The exchange in full went like this:
I welcome the new Member, Helen Morgan.
Helen Morgan
(North Shropshire) (LD)
Thank you, Mr Speaker.Ambulance services and paramedics are desperately struggling to maintain a safe and timely service across the country. My constituency of North Shropshire is no exception, and inexplicably has seen two of its ambulance stations closed, as well as waiting times sky-rocket. With the crisis in emergency care escalating, will the Prime Minister commit today before this House to supporting my call for a full and proper review of ambulance services by the Care Quality Commission?
The Prime Minister
It is very important that everybody should get the ambulance service that they need. That is why we are investing £55 million more and that is why there are 500 more people on the ambulance staff than there were in 2018.
Afterwards, Helen said:
There is no time to waste in solving the local ambulance crisis which is a life and death situation in Shropshire.
It is essential that the Prime Minister and his Government tackle this crisis. It was disappointing to see him turn down my call for a full and proper review into services.
