On Sunday, I appeared on the East Midlands Politics Show to discuss the health of the NHS in our region, alongside the former Conservative Health Secretary and MP for Charnwood, Stephen Dorrell MP. We talked about waiting times, NHS finances, the quiet crisis in social care and the need for proper checks on foreign doctors (click here to see the program).

The NHS is starting to go backwards under the Tory-LibDem government. The number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for their treatment has increased by 43% since the general election. Frontline staff are losing their jobs and wards are being closed.

The Government is also trying to force through a reckless, risky and expensive NHS re-organisation. Their Health and Social Care Bill seeks to fundamentally change the way our NHS is run, putting patient care at risk and threatening to create a post-code lottery where the services you get depend on where you live, not what healthcare you need.

I feel really strongly about this issue and I know that many of my constituents share my concerns. Please join our Drop the Bill campaign to stop the Government’s plans, by signing our petition here.