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Articles about ‘Health & social care’

CARERS WEEK 2016

201606 Carers Week

Yesterday I pledged my support for Carers Week 2016. Across the UK there are 6.5m people providing unpaid care for an ill, older or disabled family member or friend, with 11,243 of those in Birmingham Northfield. There are also a lot of people who do not identify themselves as carers because they see what they do as part and parcel of family life, helping to support those closest to them when they need help. Read more

South Birmingham has lowest bowel cancer testing rates across West Mids

South Birmingham has the lowest bowel cancer screening uptake in the West Midlands with just a 45.98% uptake rate. In fact, I haven’t taken part in bowel cancer screening yet, something which this campaign has prompted me to do.

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Assisted Dying Bill

Hundreds of you have got in touch with me about the Assisted Dying Bill. The Bill comes up for debate in the House of Commons this Friday (11th September).

Over the past weeks and months I have sent individual replies to as many people as possible. However, the sheer quantity of e-mails I have received – both for and against the Bill – means that I have not been able to get back to everybody before it comes up for debate.

In order to reach as many local people ahead of the debate as possible, you can see a copy of my initial response below, which outlines my views as well as links to more information about the Bill.

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Protecting our NHS

Scores of local people have written to me over the past few weeks to ask where I stand on our NHS – whether I will fight privatisation and support a well-funded, public health service in the future.

Put simply, as your Labour MP I will back the NHS as a public health service and ensure it can provide the care we all rely on.

I am absolutely committed to protecting our NHS for the reason the Labour Government created it in 1948 – a national health service based on need, not the ability to pay, and one which is available to everyone – rich or poor, man, woman or child. I believe there is a very urgent need to protect these values and to restore the right ethics into our NHS – which is facing some of the most significant challenges in it’s history.

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Northfield Pool to be rebuilt on existing site

News that the Birmingham City Council will rebuild Northfield Pool and Leisure Centre on the existing site puts an end to months of speculation following last year’s public consultation on the issue. You can read some of the background to the issue here.

During that consultation, many residents and traders emphasised the importance of retaining a central Northfield location for the new leisure centre to replace the existing pool, which is now reaching the end of its life. This decision achieves that. After looking at the costs involved, the City Council have concluded that it would not be financially viable to try to redevelop another part of central Northfield (such as Price’s Square) to house the new pool. Alternative locations such as Longbridge also did not stack up financially.

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