Like many others, my family and I have relied on the NHS, and been so grateful for its support.
In 2015, I was rushed to hospital for emergency organ surgery. I was terrified, but the Doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and staff made me feel so safe and cared for.
When I was a teenager, my dad fell into a coma - he had contracted meningitis. He was in a coma for 9 days and we thought we might lose him...but thanks to the care of the excellent team looking after him, he survived!
I will always be grateful to the NHS for saving my dad's life and for saving my organ. Its why my husband and I are regular blood donors - we see it as a very small way to help the NHS in its efforts to help people.
Many of my closest friends are Doctors, and I saw how hard they worked during covid. We wanted to do our bit to help, so my husband and I volunteered at a Covid vaccine centre for months - processing around 500 people each day.
There is real demand for GP services - I've heard this from countless members, and from residents I've spoken to on the doorstep. The government has worked hard to tackle this - we've got 1,900 more GPs and 41,000 more nurses than in 2019, but we still need to do more.
I want to ensure that the NHS remains free at the point of use, and that it can provide the valuable service we all benefit from. I've written in the past about ways in which we could reduce pressure on the service by using pharmacies more efficiently, and about how we could tackle obesity - a growing issue in the UK that will increase pressure on the NHS.
I'm really keen to support measures that utilise technology to provide a more efficient and effective service, and that we focus on prevention and healthy living as a way to reduce the pressure on the NHS. That's why I was really glad to see the government investing in tech to allow people to make choices about where, and how, they receive their treatment.
I'm really pleased that we have recognised the importance of mental health. My mum has volunteered as a Samaritan for five years, taking calls from people in need of mental health support. During the pandemic, I helped their fundraising and awareness efforts, volunteering in their local charity shop and selling over 100 copies of a recipebook (raising over £1,000).
