I was really pleased to hear from the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, this week that he has recognised how vital the Women’s and Children’s Unit is to Cornwall and it has been placed in the first wave of the New Hospitals’ Programme to be prioritised and commenced within this Parliament.

There have been years of uncertainty as to whether the scheme would go ahead. The New Hospitals Programme, announced by Boris Johnson in 2020, promised ‘40 new hospitals’ but was delayed by years and not a single new hospital had been constructed by the time the Conservatives left office. Upon coming into power, the Health Secretary discovered that the funding for the programme was unbelievably due to run out in March 2025 and was not budgeted for any further.

I know personally how much the unit is needed. When I had my baby at Treliske 19 years ago, men were drilling at the ceiling in the four-bed maternity ward where I was with my newborn son. I have been reminding the Health Secretary on many occasions how important the Women and Children's Unit is for us and asking for it to be prioritised. Now it has, I am absolutely delighted that we can deliver what will be a groundbreaking medical facility for the future mothers, fathers and babies of Cornwall.

Staying with the topic of the NHS, the government has launched an initiative to ignite a nationwide conversation on its future. Change NHS: A Health Service Fit for the Future will bring together voices from NHS staff, local leaders, and the public drawing on their ideas and experiences to put together a vision of the future NHS to help shape a 10-year plan.

This weekend I will hold a 'town hall' meeting in Falmouth, asking people in Cornwall for their input.

I am still meeting people when I knock on doors who are unable to get out, or work, because they are waiting for treatment or operations. Waiting lists have been going up for 14 years and Cornwall is underfunded on a per head basis compared to other places. With that said, lots of people's experience of the NHS is good and we also want to celebrate the things in our NHS that are working in Cornwall so they can be rolled out elsewhere. This is our chance to openly discuss the problems and the potential solutions for the NHS.

The conversation is already under way. So far, the online portal at change.nhs.uk has been visited over a million times and almost 9,000 ideas have been submitted with themes including the importance of cutting waiting times for GP appointments and improving patient records. Please do contribute online if you can.

After the town hall I will then take these voices to the Health Secretary and ask him to take Cornwall’s very specific needs into account. Turning the NHS around will be a team effort. This is the opportunity to have your say and make the NHS fit for the future.

Jayne Kirkham

Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth