Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth MP to Portsmouth to see first-hand the work of dedicated staff at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Mr Morgan and Mr Ashworth were taken on a tour of the Emergency and Neonatal departments and Acute Services by senior hospital staff where they had the opportunity to speak to those working there about the day to day challenges they face.
They then had a meeting with Mark Cubbon, Chief Executive of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust where they discussed plans for the future and funding challenges.
Jonathan Ashworth MP said:
“It was useful to meet some of the hard working staff at QA Hospital today and to see them in action in the departments we visited.
“The NHS has a nearly million pound deficit, and despite this, staff are working incredibly hard both in Portsmouth and across the country to give patients the best quality of care they can.
“In Stephen Morgan, the city has an MP who is fighting hard to make sure local health services in Portsmouth get the resources they need.”
The visit comes as reports from regulator NHS Improvement have emerged revealing an NHS deficit of £960m in the last financial year compared with the £496m for – nearly twice the amount the Government planned for.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“Visiting the Queen Alexandra Hospital today with the Shadow Secretary of State was a valuable insight into the challenges of running busy A&E and Neonatal departments under the numerous pressures the NHS is currently facing.
“I commend the hard-working frontline staff in Portsmouth who are doing their best to provide vital care services to patients under a heavily overburdened NHS.
“I’d like to thank Mark and the team today for showing us around.”
