Enfield Expedition | Government is responsible for NHS backlogs

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In our latest MP column, Bambos Charalambous slams ever-longer waits for NHS treatment

Bambos Charalambous is a Labor MP representing Enfield Southgate (credit parliament.uk)

A very Happy New Year to everyone at Enfield. I hope you all enjoyed a restful break over the festive period and are looking forward to all that 2023 has in store for you.

Looking back on 2022, it has been quite a year in British politics. In Enfield we had local elections in May and Labor retained control of the council as the party made significant gains across the country, including in nearby Barnet.

We have also witnessed with horror the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Since the start of the war last February, more than 120 Ukrainians and their families have been taken into the homes of residents of Enfield. It has been incredibly moving to see how welcoming our community has been to those fleeing this horrific conflict.

In Westminster there was a lot of political unrest. For those who find it hard to follow, we have had three prime ministers, four chancellors and four budgets.

With all this upheaval at the top of government, the UK’s economic outlook has continued to grow more difficult. We face the weakest growth of all OECD countries. Living standards are expected to fall 7.1%, the biggest drop in six decades, while food and energy costs all rise. This is a very difficult time for people in the UK and of course it will be the most vulnerable who will bear the worst impact of the cost of living crisis.

As we begin the year, I want to focus on one of the biggest challenges facing our community and the people of the UK: the crisis in our NHS. This is something that comes up again and again in my file. According to recent data, 3,933 people had to wait more than two weeks for an appointment with a local GP. Seven million people in the UK are waiting months or even years for treatment. This has a devastating impact on their daily lives as they are prevented from working and living their lives to the full.

It’s not up to NHS staff, who continue to go above and beyond to protect people. The problems facing the NHS today are the result of twelve years of Tory mismanagement. The more time we give curators, the longer patients wait.

As your MP, I have backed calls for a long-term plan to fix our NHS, because I don’t believe we can build a healthy economy without a healthy society. This starts with investing in our NHS workforce, which is facing record vacancies.

That’s why, last month, I voted to close the “no-dom” tax loophole and use that money to train a new generation of healthcare workers, including doubling the number of nurses and doctors. There are around 44,000 non-doms in the UK, who use a 200-year-old loophole to pay their overseas taxes. I believe patients need treatment and NHS staff need support, more than the wealthy need tax relief.

I will continue to hold the government to account so that patients in our community are seen on time and local NHS staff are supported in the future.

Bambos Charalambous is a Labor MP for Enfield Southgate. If you are an elector, you can contact us:

Call 0207 219 3460 Email [email protected]Visit bambos.org.uk

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