JILL KNIGHT rightly made the case for sustained investment in the NHS in her letter to the Gazette & Herald (January 20) and asked parliamentary candidates for a prescription to make it happen.
As Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Thirsk and Malton, I am committed to fighting for the future of our health service and making sure the service remains free at the point of delivery.
The Liberal Democrats plan to increase NHS funding by at least £8bn a year in real terms by 2020, funded through cost savings in other areas, tax changes for people earning more than £150,000 and scrapping the Conservative shares-for-rights scheme.
We will focus extra funding on two priorities. Firstly, to end discrimination against mental health services, to which we have pledged £500m a year extra from 2015/16.
Secondly, we want to put money into prevention of illness, with the double benefit of reducing the pressure on acute services. When people need medical intervention, we want this to take place as close to home as possible.
Some of the pressure we have seen on our A&E centres in recent weeks has been a direct result of the cuts in social services budgets, which have left the elderly with less support available in their own homes.
We need the two systems – health and social care – to be integrated and work more efficiently together.
Di Keal, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Thirsk and Malton, Ryedale district and Norton town councillor
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