During the past week of the campaign we woke to the news of the horrific terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena. I immediately suspended my local campaign along with all other campaigns across the country, as a mark of respect for the numerous victims and their families. My thoughts and prayers are still with them.
On Thursday afternoon my campaign resumed, albeit with a heavy heart. Any further delay would have given the terrorists what they wanted. We must not allow them to damage our democracy.
Yesterday, I released my 12 Point Plan for the Alex. It’s a series of pledges I am making to the electorate on how I will deal with this vitally important issue.
Throughout my campaign I have been speaking with people on their doorsteps and across the constituency, and they have told me one important concern is a lack of clarity when it comes to the Alex and its future.
Let me clear. The Alex is here to stay. Any suggestions that A&E is closing, or that the whole hospital is doomed is wild scaremongering.
I’ve been lobbying for progress on the consultation process ever since I was selected three weeks ago. And now I’m really pleased that that I’ve secured a pledge from Health Minister Philip Dunn that a substantial multi-million pound investment will be delivered to the Alex as a priority - if a Conservative Government is elected on June 8th.
Amongst other things it will pay for new operating theatres, more equipment and improved car parking. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can work hard to make sure everyone in Redditch has access to excellent world class care.
Whilst it’s true that Redditch is a growing town, we don't have the birth rate required to sustain a consultant-led birthing unit here. And up and down the country, the focus is moving away from these towards midwife-led units, which allow mums to give birth in a more comfortable and relaxed setting.
It is also not considered safe (by the professionals who advise on these matters) to have a midwife-led unit operating on its own. This is because some cases will inevitably require escalation to a consultant, so where there are midwife-led units it is preferred to host them alongside consultants and operating theatres. This is the case with the Meadow Unit at Worcestershire Royal. Overall, the change in configuration of services means better choice for mums, safer births and a lower rate of emergency C- sections. Additionally, local health services are also more geared up now to support home births, again, preferred by many families.
However, if Redditch grows by 10% the birth rate should also increase. If this happens the situation must be reviewed, and I’ll be pressing for such a review to take place quickly with a view that a unit should be set up accordingly.
There is also some confusion about what an MP can and cannot do when it comes to party politics. It has always been the case that an MP can vote in the best interests of their constituency when the issue directly affects the people in that constituency. Even where this means voting against the Government of the day.
I have also committed to holding regular ‘health summits’ if I am elected. We have some fantastically passionate people in Redditch who can contribute a lot to these summits, which would feature representatives of all the key players in this issue.
I am looking forward to talking to residents about my plan and all the other issues around this election. The most important one is Brexit. Just 11 days after the election the EU negotiations will begin. Redditch will need to decide who it wants leading those negotiations. It will either be Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn. I believe Theresa May is the best person for that job, and I hope you will join me in giving her a strong mandate on June the 8th.