As a Labour Government, we now have a chance to make it easier to get healthcare in the community and reduce pressure on hospitals. We call it care closer to home, and it should do what you’d expect.

I do know the difficulties many of you face when trying to see a GP. Some Calder Valley surgeries have far higher numbers of patients to GPs than the national average, and that pressure affects appointment availability. They are currently changing the way they distribute money for GPs, and I’m calling for ministers to consider communities like ours in that.

Strengthening general practice is only part of the picture; we need hospitals to move services closer too. Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust already deliver services from hospitals, several community-based centres and in people’s homes. In 2024/25, their community healthcare staff made 369,000 visits and provided 230,000 therapy appointments. A lot of you will have seen it in action at Broad Street Plaza. And Centres like that have been great for getting our waiting lists down.

Another part of the picture is commissioning. West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board has a legal responsibility to plan, organise and manage health and care services and work to reduce inequalities in Calderdale. That means getting out to offer support where it’s needed. Part of the new reforms to special educational needs and disability support will be providing health services in schools, be it speech and language therapy or physiotherapy.

Mental health support is another essential part of the shift toward community provision. In my role on the Health and Social Care Select Committee, I have visited some truly innovative projects around the country which are making mental health community-focused. I believe that the NHS needs to take these examples and bring them to the rest of the country.

Every government says they want to bring care closer to home. But statistics show that it has only got more centralised over recent years. I will fight to make sure this government is the one that delivers on that project.