At his recent “Cuppa and Chat” coffee morning in Eastney, Stephen Morgan MP provided constituents an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives on the topic of access to local healthcare services during the event’s roundtable discussion.
Throughout the event, Mr Morgan heard the different difficulties which are currently being faced by those in need of local healthcare services, such as long GP wait times and limited availability of dental appointments.
As part of his commitment to ensuring a local NHS that is fit for the future, Mr Morgan has pledged that feedback from local people will be used to inform future actions taken on this issue by himself as the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South and the wider Government as a whole.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“I want to thank all those who came along to my recent Cuppa and Chat event in Milton to share their views on accessing healthcare services here in Portsmouth.
“Whilst the NHS has supported our city for decades, patients have struggled to get the healthcare that they need when they need it in recent years. Portsmouth people will know the pain of trying to get a GP or dentists appointment all too well.
“That is why I am proud to be part of government which has already major steps to address the accessibility of healthcare services in our city since coming into office, strengthening the local NHS workforce and moving health services to where more care is needed in the community.
“However, as this event has demonstrated, there is still more work to be done.
“Attendees can be reassured that their experiences and ideas will be taken back to Westminster to help shape this Government’s local healthcare approach and will inform any further action I take as part of my commitment to ensuring that Portsmouth’s NHS is fit for the future.”
This event follows Mr Morgan’s support for action previously taken by this Labour Government since 2024 to improve local access to healthcare services, including but not limited to:
- Increasing additional urgent dentist appointments available for local people, resulting in 23,000 extra appointments over the course of a year
- Reducing waiting lists across Portsmouth hospitals by over 6,000, reaching their lowest level in 3 years
- Providing dental training places to University of Portsmouth’s new Dental School, expected to result in an increase in local dentists
- Establishing a Portsmouth Community Diagnostic Centre, which will provide vital diagnostic services and support earlier diagnosis for local people
- Establishing 4 Mental Health Centres to in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight region, ensuring earlier help closer to home for people in crisis
Additionally, the Health Bill 2026, which is currently progressing through Parliament, is intended to improve access to local health services across England through key measures:
- Devolving decisions by moving functions from NHS England to Integrated Care Boards, bringing decisions closer to patients and communities
- Reducing bureaucracy by abolishing NHS England and restoring Ministers’ direct accountability to Parliament for key NHS decisions
- Improving patient care by establishing a Single Patient Record so patients’ information can be accessed securely in one place, enabling safer, faster and more joined-up care
Measures within the Health Bill 2026 can be read about in further detail here.
