Wolverhampton residents are set to benefit from improved health services, as the Government invests £2.43 billion in the Black Country Integrated Care Board in addition to over £81 million in 2023/24 for locally determined priority capital projects. Stuart Anderson MP welcomed the funding for local healthcare needs, as part of the Government’s record investment to make access faster, simpler, and fairer for patients.
Between January 2023 and January 2024, 7,052 more doctors and 21,242 more nurses were recruited, meaning there are 45,455 more doctors and 73,426 more nurses since 2010. In the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, there were 98 more full-time-equivalent doctors and 297 more nurses in September 2023 than there were in September 2022. This is local delivery on the commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses. Since 2010, there are 45,220 more doctors and 69,685 more nurses. Waiting lists have also fallen by almost 200,000 in the last five months.
The Government is also making it easier to get a GP appointment and end the 8am rush, by investing in technology and recruiting more staff to look after patients. In the Black Country Integrated Care System, there were 123 more full-time-equivalent GPs in December 2023 than in December 2019 and 741,370 more appointments in General Practice in the 12 months to December 2023 than in the 12 months to December 2019 – helping us to hit our target of 50 million more GP appointments. In Wolverhampton South West, there were 70 more full-time- equivalent direct patient care staff working in general practice in September 2023 than there were in September 2019.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “The health and wellbeing of my constituents is a top priority of mine. Since even before my election in 2019, I have been working hard to secure better investment for healthcare in Wolverhampton. I am delighted that we now have hundreds more clinicians on the frontline, helping deliver our priority to cut waiting lists so people across the city will get the care they need more quickly. This includes 98 more doctors and 297 more nurses, backed by the first ever Long-Term Workforce Plan, helping to cut waiting lists and deliver the care people deserve.”