Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, praised the Conservative Government for remaining on track to deliver the manifesto commitment of recruiting 26,000 additional primary care professionals by March 2024.
Recently released figures show the two NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) that are responsible for Cumbria have both recruited hundreds of new primary care workers since 2019. NHS North East and North Cumbria has recruited 1,281 more primary care workers, with NHS Lancaster and South Cumbria recruiting 672. Primary care workers include a range of professions such as pharmacists, physiotherapists and dieticians.
Delivering more primary care professionals helps to reduce pressure on GPs and improves access to appointments so more patients can get the right healthcare professional to meet their needs
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
" I was really proud to stand on our Conservative manifesto which pledged to recruit 26,000 more of these professionals by March 2024, so to see encouraging progress that we are on track to hit our ambitious recruitment targets, despite being hit by national and global pressures is excellent news.
"Public services are so pivotal for us all here in rural Cumbria, so to see hundreds of new primary care professionals have been recruited right here on our doorstep is a great step forward. From personal experience the NHS does a great job locally and I'd like to reiterate my thanks to all healthcare workers who have kept the nation healthy despite unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic."
Supporting public services such as the NHS is a key priority for Dr Hudson who recently cut the ribbon to open Penrith Hospital's newly rennovated inpatient ward following a £1.2 million Conservative Government upgrade. The Cumbrian MP has also pushed Government to better support rural mental health and subsequently welcomed millions of pounds in central funding to support mental health services across the UK; quizzed local Cumbrian clinicians down in Westminster in order to make considered reccomendations to Government on rural healthcare; and recently his reccomendations to the Treasury were fulfilled when the Chancellor announced more NHS spending in his recent Autumn Statement.
