THE Labour Party has vowed to make more use of Barnard Castle’s Richardson Hospital if it comes to power at the next general election.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting made the pledge when visiting the community hospital.
Services have been taken away from the hospital over the past decade, including the closure of one of its two wards. However, it found a role as a vaccination centre during the pandemic.
Mr Streeting said cash to fund new nurses and doctors in the UK would be raised by abolishing the “non-dom” tax status, which allows people who live and work in the country to pay their tax overseas. Labour, he said, would double the number of medical school places to train 15,000 new doctors each year and also train an additional 10,000 nurses and midwives annually.
He said: “Labour’s plan will see patients guaranteed a face-to-face appointment with a GP if they want one. While some patients prefer to hold appointments over the phone, many are frustrated at not being able to see their doctor in person. One in seven people who try to speak to a nurse or GP were unable to get an appointment at all last year.
“Labour is also pledging to bring back the family doctor, so patients can see the same GP each appointment if they choose to. Under Labour’s plans, GP practices will be provided with incentives to offer patients continuity of care, so doctors must take into account patients’ preferences.”
It is understood Labour is working to get more outpatient services at Richardson Hospital and more “step-down” beds. These are used by patients who leave larger hospitals but are still not well enough to return home.
The party’s candidate for the Bishop Auckland constituency, Sam Rushworth, said: “I meet people in Teesdale who are travelling three hours on the bus to Middlesbrough, sometimes several times a week, to visit family members in hospital or to receive routine out-patient procedures. That has to change.
“We have a fantastic facility in the Richardson Hospital, which, like Bishop Auckland General Hospital, has become under-utilised due to the Tories’ NHS staffing crisis.”
Bishop Auckland’s MP, Dehenna Davison, was not able to comment at the time of going to press.
