I was delighted to have my first face-to-face meeting with Simon Weldon, who has recently been appointed Chief Executive of Northampton General Hospital.
Although we have been on several conference calls together during the crisis management dealing with the pandemic, this personal meeting with Simon was an opportunity for me to see how the hospital is coping with the demands of Covid-19, and to express my support that they have the resources they need at their disposal as we enter the winter months.
I was delighted that, earlier this year, the Government committed to writing off the debt of Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust to the value of £107.9 million, as part of our pledge to scrap £13.4 billion of NHS debt across England to support coronavirus efforts.
The debt write-off will now enable the hospital to invest in maintaining vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements, and I will support them in their efforts and lobby the Department for Health where appropriate.
Constituents of Northampton North sometimes contact me concerning medical issues they have encountered which sometimes involves me writing to the CEO of the Hospital.
Throughout this pandemic, I have been in regular contact with leaders of NHS Northamptonshire, Public Health Northamptonshire, and Government Health Ministers, and I will continue to work with them – including Simon - in our efforts to tackle the virus and support Northampton General Hospital.