A Shropshire MP’s proposal to end corridor care and fix the NHS emergency care crisis has been sanctioned by the Liberal Democrats at the party’s conference.
The plan put forward by North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan, reaffirms calls for GP appointments to be available within seven days, and urgent ones within 24 hours, ending the need for people to turn to A&E in desperation.
The MP put forward the proposal as a new policy for backing by party members at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth on Saturday, 20th September.
The approved plan also commits to investing £50 million a year into reopening ambulance stations, ensuring there is a clinical professional monitoring patients in every A&E waiting room, launching a new recruitment drive for community first responders, and cutting dangerous delays in response times.
The announcement comes as NHS figures from this summer revealed that the number of Shropshire A&E patients subjected to wait times of 12 hours was the highest in the country.
The damning statistics also showed that the percentage of patients waiting longer than the government target of four hours grew compared to last year.
Nationally, only 73% of patients were treated within four hours, far below the 95% target. Ambulance delays and emergency department diverts also hit record highs last winter, leading the MP to warn of a ‘permacrisis’ as the NHS faces continual pressures.
The long delays can have deadly consequences. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has estimated that 16,600 deaths in 2024 were linked to excessive waits in A&E.
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: “Families across North Shropshire are being let down in their hour of need. Patients are stuck for hours in corridors, pensioners are left in agony waiting for ambulances, and staff are working under intolerable pressure. This is the shameful legacy of Conservative neglect and Labour inaction.
“I’m delighted my proposal was approved by the party. These plans will get people the help they need early rather than them ending up in crisis at A&E and crucially will free up hospital beds and end delayed discharges.”
Helen recently voiced her concerns over local health provision at a meeting with Government Health Minister, Karin Smyth MP, at Westminster following the publication of NHS league tables.
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