The NHS is in the worst condition that I can ever remember. This government have ignored over a decade of warnings about the rising pressures on social care which has resulted in hospitals being utterly overwhelmed and local authorities unable to respond due to repeated budget cuts and austerity measures.

On top of this, NHS staff are left underpaid after years of stagnating wages below the level of inflation and working in incredibly difficult conditions making recruitment and retainment of staff increasingly difficult which consequently exacerbates all the other existing issues.

Our NHS currently runs off the goodwill of its fantastic staff. Yet despite this, the government continue to demonise striking nurses and ambulance workers rather than taking responsibility for the mess they have made. Clapping on the doorsteps for our nurses while they risked their lives to keep us safe during the pandemic is now a very distant memory indeed.

I have been on the picket line with nurses and ambulance workers who simply want a fair deal and for the necessary changes to be made to ensure that the NHS can provide the level of care that the people of this country deserve. These workers have my full support and will continue to do so until their moderate and necessary demands are met.

I will never give up on our NHS and will continue to fight in and out of parliament for the proper funding and reform the service needs to make it fit for the 21st century. But this simply will not happen with a Conservative government in charge who still fail to accept any accountability for the state it is in today.

My full support goes out to all the nurses, ambulance drivers, and other NHS workers fighting not only for proper pay, terms, and conditions for themselves, but for the very future of our National Health Service.

If you are a constituent and have experienced any of these issues over the winter with regard to the NHS then please contact my office at ian.lavery.mp@parliament.uk to ensure that we are aware of them and can give you the relevant support if necessary.