Former Tory Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley has admitted his bowel cancer could have been caught earlier if his own recommendations to his Government had been followed. Early diagnosis is key to stopping this cancer and others. That effectively means early access to screening. Currently Thanet has amongst the worst bowel cancer outcomes and more needs […]
I’m grateful for the response to the set of questions I posted in January. This came in a letter from Patricia Davies, however it raises a lot of further questions. I’m sure you’ll have your own. My key concern is that these changes to the provision of stroke services in Thanet are being driven by […]
Press release Friday 23 March 2018, 08:00 Recent figures show the shocking reality of health care provision across Kent. Up to 800 hundred vulnerable children aged 8 – 11 are waiting for 2 years for an assessment for autistic spectrum conditions and attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. That is a 2 year wait just for the […]
We regularly hold street stalls across South Thanet to raise awareness of issues and the campaigns we run locally and nationally. This March we are out again campaigning against the potential loss of locally accessible NHS stroke services. There will be information about the proposals, their potential impact on Thanet’s already poor health outcomes and […]
This Spring, Labour Party members will select their prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency of South Thanet. I have put my name forward and will spend much of my time in the following weeks talking to many of you about why I am standing and what I can do for the locality as well as […]
NHS stroke services in Thanet are under threat of closure as part of restructuring in Kent. Provision of a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is proposed, along with two other HASUs in the county. This would leave stroke victims on our isle with over an hour to travel in […]
A very busy start to 2018 There are many pressing issues at the moment – the failure of TDC to pass the local plan, real concerns and frustration about litter, rubbish and dog mess (I think it’s driving everyone mad) and the constant threat of cuts to our services. The really central and dominating issue […]
Why, when figures for breastfeeding in the UK are the worst in the world are we cutting the breastfeeding support budget by £400,000, and reducing the service across Kent that is there to support breastfeeding mums. We know that the rate for breastfeeding in Kent is lower than the national average and is falling. It […]
As an elected Labour County Councillor for Ramsgate I am privileged to have a column in The Isle of Thanet News.
The demonstration organised by Save Our NHS in Kent (SONiK) on February 3rd was a great success. Much media coverage before and after the event has raised the profile of the campaign to save the stroke service at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM). I’ve posted some of this below. Currently in consultation, the […]