Layla Moran calls for Parliament to be recalled over NHS crisis

Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has joined her party’s demands for parliament to be recalled amid estimates that 500 people each week across the country are dying due to A&E delays.

In recent days ambulance services across the country have declared ‘critical incidents’, whilst ambulance staff have also been urged to conserve oxygen supplies due to a surge in demand. 

In Oxfordshire, doctors and patients alike are concerned at the state of health services. Only 77 per cent of suspected cancer patients were seen by a specialist within two weeks at the end of 2022, missing the 93 per cent target.

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The Integrated Care Board, which plans and provides health and care services for people in Oxfordshire, has warned of ‘significant pressure’ on A&E departments.

As ambulance delays and waiting lists have hit record levels in recent weeks, the NHS says demand for care means the public should use ‘use emergency services wisely’ over the new year period.

The Integrated Care Board, which plans and provides health and care services for people in Oxfordshire, has warned of ‘significant pressure’ on A&E departments.

Ms Moran is urgently calling on the Government to pass an emergency health plan and declare a ‘national major incident’ this week to ‘save lives and ease the pressure on overstretched nurses, doctors and paramedics’. 

The Liberal Democrats have set out a five-point winter plan to tackle the ambulance crisis including launching a campaign to recruit more paramedics, increasing the number of hospital beds and boosting funding for social care.

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Ms Moran said: “This is a life-or-death situation for people in Oxfordshire and right across the country.

“The NHS is collapsing in front of our eyes whilst the Prime Minister and Health Secretary are nowhere to be seen.

“This is a national crisis and therefore its only right MPs get back to Westminster to fix the problem. I am ready to do whatever is necessary to get the resources to the front line, including passing an emergency law.

“The Prime Minister must declare a major incident now to put the NHS back on a pandemic-style footing amid soaring numbers of deaths.

“We have already seen in our own area that ambulance waiting times have reached dangerous levels whilst so many of us have stories of long waits at A&E.

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“This is on top of face-to-face GP and NHS dentist appointments being almost impossible to find.”

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland