As winter sets in, I’m really concerned our NHS isn’t getting the support it needs to cope. Last week alone, 2,500 people attended Leicester’s A&E and more than 10 per cent had to wait more than four hours before they were seen and treated.

On Friday, I visited the Royal’s A&E department to meet with patients and staff and to see the pressures they were under. Ben Teasdale, the Clinical Lead for the Emergency Department showed me around.

This local visit followed a national A&E summit, which was set up by Labour’s Shadow Health Team and held in Parliament last Wednesday. Frontline staff told us better support for community nurses and council care services was vital to dealing with the A&E crisis. They also want changes to make it easier for patients to see their GP and to ensure people get the right advice from the new non-emergency NHS 111 number.

This Wednesday, I’ll be demanding action on these issues in a Commons debate. You can read more on this issue in an article I wrote for the Leicester Mercury, which can be found here.