Our health service has been in the news lately, and not always for the best of reasons. The service is under pressure following COVID-19 and high levels of seasonal flu.

We all admire the immense dedication of those who work in our NHS, as shown when we came together during the pandemic to clap their commitment.

I have spoken to staff across the NHS in Shropshire in recent weeks, who have made me aware of the pressures. This is mainly due to the rise in demand for healthcare as our population ages, compounded by the backlog of treatments not able to be done during the pandemic.

But this is also due to staffing shortages, with high vacancy levels in many areas and specialities, and recruitment into rural areas among the most difficult to fill.

These pressures have led to unprecedented strike action by health workers. This is not all about pay, but pay demands are a big part of the present disputes.

So, what is the Government doing?

Well, first increasing the budget for both the NHS and social care significantly, by £7bn over the next two years. The Department for Health and Social Care budget for 2023/24 will be £182bn, one in every six taxpayer’s pounds planned to be spent by the Government.

To put this into context, there was a claim on a bus in 2016 that the NHS would get an extra £350million a week. In this coming year, NHS England will get almost £600m a week more than in 2016/17.

Secondly, increasing the number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS. When I was Health Minister, we increased the number of training places for doctors and nurses by 25% each. These additional nurses are joining the workforce now, and the doctors are in training roles. Last year, the number of nurses increased by 10,500 and the number of doctors by 4,700.

Third, on pay, every member of the more than 1.2m staff on the NHS pay scales (pretty much everyone other than doctors & dentists), received a £1,400 pay rise from last April, which was an 9.3% increase for the lowest paid. Health unions should engage with the Independent Pay Review Board and NHS employers to make their case that the coming year settlement should reflect more of the inflationary pressures we have seen since last April, rather than focusing on the year before.

I have long called for a Long-Term Workforce Plan and am pleased the NHS is finalising such a plan to be published soon, which will consider the number of staff needed to address patient need.

There are 23,000 more primary care staff working in general practice than in 2019, with a 19% increase across practices in the Ludlow constituency. This is a good start, but the NHS requires reform of various working practices, which currently work against filling rotas, such as experienced consultants and doctors retiring early due to high pension taxes and far too much reliance on agency staff.

There is also a new Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for acute hospitals, intended to tackle hospital discharges, increase bed capacity, and reduce pressure. With an investment of £1bn, the investment will deliver 5,000 more beds and over 800 more ambulances.

We need the NHS more than ever, and there is clearly an enormous amount to do to get back on track. But I believe the commitment is there from the public, staff, and Government to ensure the NHS has a healthy and viable future.