Please see below a template press release on our NHS amendment to the King's Speech.
There is a link to the order paper in which the amendment appears here. It is amendment n.
Please localise this release as you see fit. It is applicable to anywhere in which a Conservative MP holds the seat.
[AREA’s] Conservative MP urged to back GP and dentists rescue plan in King’s Speech amendment
[AREA’s] Liberal Democrats are calling on the local Conservative MP [NAME] to back an amendment to the King’s Speech to address the crisis in the NHS
The amendment calls for a legal right for a patients to see their GP within a week and an NHS dentists rescue plan
It comes as NHS waiting lists have hit a record high of 7.8 million
Liberal Democrats in [AREA] have called on local Conservative MP [NAME] to back an amendment in Parliament this week calling for a GP and dental care rescue plan.
It comes ahead of a series of crunch votes on the King's Speech in Parliament tomorrow (Wednesday 15 November).
The Liberal Democrat amendment would give a patient a legal right to see their GP within a week, and 24-hours if in urgent need. It also calls on the government to publish a dental recovery plan as promised seven months after a shocking rise in the number of ‘dental deserts’ leaving people struggling to see an NHS dentist when they need to.
Other measures in the amendment include ensuring the Conservative manifesto pledge of building 40 new hospitals is met, with many currently facing delays and not receiving adequate funding.
[AREA’s] Liberal Democrats have said that if Conservative MP [NAME] does not back the amendment it would show a “callous disregard for those in [AREA] stuck on NHS waiting lists”.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson for [AREA], [NAME] said:
“This Conservative government has brought our local health services to their knees. Everyday, people in [AREA] are struggling to get a GP appointment or cannot find a dentist taking NHS patients.
“Real action on the NHS was glaringly missing from the King’s Speech. [NAME of Conservative MP] needs to back the Liberal Democrat amendment to it and ensure that local health services are put front and centre of the government’s agenda.
“Anything less would show a callous disregard for those in [AREA] stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to get the treatment that they deserve.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Liberal Democrat amendment to the King’s Speech can be found here (amendment n).