Update: I’ve now launched a petition to bring one of these new Neighbourhood Health Centres to Bitterne. Please sign it and help me make the case for this much-wanted centre to government ministers and senior healthcare leaders. 

Today in Parliament, I encouraged the government to consider bringing one of its planned Neighbourhood Health Centres to the city – telling the Prime Minister directly that Bitterne would be an “excellent location” for such a facility.

At today’s PMQ’s I said to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer:

At my recent coffee morning residents in Southampton Itchen told me how much they still miss the Bitterne NHS walk-in centre that was shut down a decade ago under the Conservatives.

So can I welcome the Government’s 10-Year Plan and its commitment to neighbourhood health services.

And as we put this Plan for Change into action for my local residents, does the Prime Minister agree that Bitterne would be an excellent location for one of the first new Neighbourhood Health Centres.

The Prime Minister responded by saying:

I pay tribute to him for making the case for his constituents and I know that the health secretary will give it every consideration”.

This is just the start. Over the summer I’ll be campaigning to bring this much-needed health centre to Bitterne. I’ll be be speaking to residents to secure their support and writing to ministers and senior healthcare leaders to make the case for a health centre. I’ll be talking more about this campaign in the very near future, so do keep an eye on my website and social media channels.

Why now? Well, you may have seen that last week, the government launched a new 10 Year Health Plan to make it easier for people to access health services in their community. The plan includes a commitment to rolling out Neighbourhood Health Services across the country, bringing diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab, and nursing to people’s doorsteps.

Neighbourhood health centres will house services under one roof, open at evenings and weekends. I really want to see one of these in my constituency and want to start making the case for this, starting with the PM today!