When I was campaigning before the general election, the message coming from voters about the shortage of GPs, dentists, and wider NHS provision in Thanet was stark. While the struggles in our NHS are a national crisis, it was clear this crisis hits us harder because of our location here on the coast. There simply isn’t the universal high-quality healthcare we all need in a coastal town like ours.
Fortunately, this government gets that, which is why they have made a new commitment this month to improve cancer outcomes in coastal communities including Thanet.
This focus matters because coastal communities face some of the starkest health inequalities in the country. Thanet has higher levels of long-term illness, an older population and greater deprivation than many inland areas. As Chair of the Labour group of more than 60 coastal MPs, this is something I care deeply about. Fixing the NHS must mean closing these gaps – not accepting them as inevitable.
This is why Labour is determined to do things differently. For too long, your chances of catching cancer early have depended on where you live. One example is our new National Cancer Plan, which will target doctors and resources at coastal and rural areas with the poorest outcomes, rather than simply at the places where it is easiest to recruit. For places like Thanet, where later diagnosis costs lives, this shift could be transformative.
The NHS is part of the lifeblood of our nation, and one of Labour’s proudest achievements. It is underpinned by the belief that everyone – no matter where in the country they live – should have access to the healthcare they need, when they need it, free at the point of use. Yet in recent years, for too many people, it hasn’t been.
Ambulances haven’t arrived on time. Waiting lists have stretched on for months. Getting a GP appointment has felt like an impossible task. That is why fixing our NHS is not just a policy priority for Labour – it is a moral duty. We must restore the contract between the state and the people that the NHS represents: that it will be there for us all.
I know that for many people locally, it doesn’t yet feel like the NHS is fixed. The recent critical incident at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate was deeply concerning, and a stark reminder that winter pressures remain very real. Our doctors, nurses, and support staff are still working under extraordinary strain, and too many patients face long waits or uncertainty about their care. I won’t pretend the struggle is over. It isn’t.
But we are starting to turn a corner.
Nationally, NHS waiting lists have fallen by 320,000 – the second biggest drop in 15 years – even while treating a record number of patients. This hasn’t happened by accident. It is the result of practical reform: more evening and weekend clinics; new community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs; and specialist teams sent into the trusts facing the greatest challenges.
We are also cutting delays by changing how patients move through the system. New “straight to test” pathways mean people can get scans and diagnostics without being passed between multiple appointments. Since the Elective Reform Plan was launched, these changes have begun to make a real difference.
One of the most tangible signs of change in Thanet is the new £10 million Thanet Community Health Hub in Broadstairs, which started taking patients late last year. It brings GP services and a community diagnostics centre together under one roof. This kind of joined-up care is exactly what coastal areas like ours need – care that reduces pressure on hospitals and supports people closer to home.
Progress is starting to be felt locally. In East Kent, waiting lists have been steadily coming down. For thousands of people, this means quicker diagnosis and treatment, and less time living in pain or anxiety.
But that progress is not fast enough yet. The direction of travel is right, but the job is far from finished.
I will keep fighting to make sure our coastal communities are no longer an afterthought, and that the NHS once again delivers the care that everyone in Thanet deserves.
This column originally appeared in the Isle of Thanet Gazette.