Plymouth MP praises Derriford improvements

Ambulance & patient waiting times improve

Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer has praised staff and managers at Derriford Hospital who he says are working hard to reduce waiting times for ambulances and patients in A&E.

He said there had been a marked improvement since Christmas and new year when the highest number of people on record went to the hospital’s A&E department. 

Mr Mercer said: “I want to pay tribute to all of the staff – managers, clinical and support – at Derriford who have worked so hard to make this happen. 

“We held regular meetings thought out last summer to work up options for how the hospital might cope over the winter, and some of the specific measures we introduced made this happen.”

The Plymouth Moor View MP spoke about progress towards a new urgent and emergency care centre at Derriford which would include a paediatric emergency department and nine new theatres. 

He said: “University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, has invested £871,000 this winter to expand the same-day emergency care service so more patients can be seen, treated and return home the same day.”

But Labour dismissed Mr Mercer’s comments and suggested the government had overseen a decline in standards and services.

Labour councillor for Plymouth Ham, Tudor Evans, said: “Whatever Mr Mercer says, NHS staff say it is in crisis and people are needlessly dying. 

“This isn’t an attack on the incredible people who work in our NHS, it’s about facing up to the fact that 12 years of Tory underinvestment is catching up with us. 

“Labour left the NHS in 2010 as the best in the world. We will make it so again but first we must rid ourselves of the charlatans who helped swindled the taxpayer out of billions on PPE – some of them Conservative MPs and ministers.”

NHS figures suggest nationally cases of flu and covid have fallen since the beginning of the year, reducing pressure on emergency services.