January 4th, 2023.

Lewes Lib Dems release:



The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Lewes constituency, James MacCleary, has joined his party’s demands for Parliament to be recalled amid estimates that 500 people across the country each week are dying due to A&E delays.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) recently declared a “critical incident”, while ambulance staff have also been urged to conserve oxygen supplies due to a surge in demand. James MacCleary is demanding the government pass an emergency health plan and declare a “national major incident” this week, to save lives and ease the pressure on overstretched nurses, doctors and paramedics.

The Liberal Democrats have set out a 5-point winter plan to tackle the ambulance crisis, including launching a campaign to recruit more paramedics, increasing the number of hospital beds and boosting funding for social care.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Lewes constituency, James MacCleary, said: “The government has been asleep at the wheel while this crisis has escalated. GP services are overwhelmed, hospital referral waiting times are spiralling and our local ambulance service is in emergency measures. This is the reality of the NHS under the Conservatives.

“Worse still, the MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield, is a government health minister and yet she has done nothing to improve local services. While she has been making excuses and blaming others to protect her government job, local residents have been dealing with the impact of her government’s health crisis.

“I support an immediate recall of parliament. This is a national crisis and therefore its only right MPs get back to Westminster to fix the problem. The Prime Minister must declare a major incident now to put the NHS back on a pandemic-style footing amid soaring numbers of deaths.

“We are all fed up with the endless excuses. I’m sure Maria Caulfield and her government colleagues will find someone to blame, but while they focus on finger pointing people are dying. Something has to be done now. Enough is enough.”