THE Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, has renewed his urgent call for the State for Health and Social Care to reconsider his ‘review’ of new hospital projects in the South West.

It comes weeks after a report by Lord Darzi, commissioned by the government suggested that the NHS is in ‘serious trouble’.

The government had recently announced that proposed projects by the previous Conservative administration for ‘40 new hospitals’ across the United Kingdom, including a new Women’s and Children’s centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro were unlikely to proceed in their current form due to spending constraints.

However, the MP for North Cornwall has reissued a plea to the government to proceed with the planned works in Cornwall, stating that their own commissioned report states the NHS is in serious trouble, adding that the investment is required to remedy that.

Mr Maguire said: “Our NHS is in serious trouble - Lord Darzi says in his own report to the Government.

”When you take a look at the hospitals, GP practices and dental surgeries around North Cornwall, almost none are fit for purpose. Despite the heroic efforts of our staff and clinicians, we have been left high and dry by the last Conservative government, who left our health service on the brink of collapse.

“Waiting times for GP appointments, mental health services, and emergency care are at crisis levels, with over a million people waiting for community and mental health services. The NHS workforce is under immense pressure, and hospital waiting lists have ballooned to over seven million people.

“Labour needs to wake up to the crisis facing North Cornwall residents, now that we have three hospital buildings which are crumbling.

“I am calling on Wes Streeting to urgently reconsider his proposed "review" of new hospital projects at Treliske, Derriford, and North Devon, which each very clearly seem like cancellations in all but name.

“I get letters and emails from constituents every day about their appalling patient experiences in hospitals. Everyone I speak to has yet another horror story about a recent visit - and this simply cannot continue. Public satisfaction with our NHS is at the lowest level ever, in large part thanks to over a decade of chaos and mismanagement from the Tories.

“But we cannot let Labour off the hook despite the Conservative’s train wreck management of our health service and public finances.

“I will be demanding that the Health Secretary review these proposals, so that the three new hospitals which are urgently needed still go ahead. I am going to invite him to visit us in Cornwall to see firsthand the crumbling hospital buildings and why so many people truly dread a visit to the hospital.”