This week the Government launched the biggest ever national conversation about the future of our NHS.

After 14 years of Conservative neglect and mismanagement, the Labour government is taking immediate action to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future.

Days after coming into office, the Health and Social Care Secretary ordered a full and independent investigation into the NHS that has since concluded that the NHS is in a ‘critical condition’. Having received the diagnosis of an NHS that is broken, but not beaten, we now need to develop a plan to lift it off its knees and make it fit for the future.

This plan cannot be top-down or led from behind a desk in Westminster. It must be built in partnership with the people who use our NHS, the staff who work in it, NHS leaders, health experts, industry, and the wider public. 

Residents across Sheffield can share their experiences of using the NHS, their frustrations, as well as their ideas for how to improve it, via the online platform Change.NHS.uk, which will run for five months and is also available via the NHS app. There will also be in-person events across the country, as well as an option for people to send in their contributions by post. 

This insight will inform the government’s Ten Year Health Plan, due to be published in the Spring, which will deliver the unprecedented long-term reform needed to turn the NHS around. 

Encouraging local residents, NHS staff, and industry experts to share their experiences and ideas, Louise Haigh MP for Sheffield Heeley said:

“It is absolutely vital that residents across Sheffield share their ideas for the future of our NHS, and make sure their voices are heard.

“We all know the challenges facing the NHS after 14 years of mismanagement and decline under the Conservatives. Whether it’s struggling to get a GP appointment, or being stuck on an NHS waiting list, the impact on people’s lives is undeniable.   

“I’ve heard from countless residents who have felt the strain. One constituent, suffering from a chronic UTI, was left housebound in pain and forced into debt to pay for private care due to the lack of available GP appointments.  Another constituent had to wait more than two years for back surgery, leaving him in a wheelchair due to the chronic pain. 

“These are just a few of the heartbreaking stories I hear every day. This must change. Now is the time to ensure we build an NHS that is fit for the future.”

To have your say in the NHS conversation visit www.change.nhs.uk