MP vows to 'hold government's feet to fire' on NHS funding for South Cambridgeshire

MP Pippa Heylings has called on the government to improve NHS funding for South Cambs and deliver a plan for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

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Ms Heylings has said the extra funding for the NHS announced in the Budget must deliver improved health services for residents and provide certainty on the future of Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. She said: "I have consistently campaigned for more investment in our local health services so I’m glad the Chancellor has finally listened, but I will hold the government's feet to the fire on this as I know it is a top priority for residents in South Cambridgeshire. "Sadly the government has repeated the Conservatives' mistake of neglecting social care.

"We urgently need cross-party talks to tackle this crisis so that older people stranded in hospital beds can finally get the care and dignity they deserve." The Department of Health and Social Care is reviewing the previous government's New Hospital Programme, which potentially puts the future of Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital at risk. Ms Heylings added: "While we welcome the extra NHS funding, it’s disappointing not to see a new and clear plan for the Cambridge Cancer Hospital.



"The government cannot drag its heels on such a vital issue, local patients have been left waiting far too long." Following the Budget, Ms Heylings also expressed concerns about the proposed £3 hike on bus fares, which she described as "unfair on people in rural parts of South Cambridgeshire who depend on their local bus services to get around". She said: "People are fed up with years of broken promises".

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