The Liberal Democrats have announced a plan which will plug funding gaps for the NHS and social care by putting a penny on income tax, in our first major manifesto commitment of the election campaign.

The tax would raise £6bn nationally and this means additional £50 million for Somerset alone, with £40 million for our NHS and £10 million for social care.

£1 billion of this extra money would be dedicated funding for mental health services.
 
This is the party’s flagship spending commitment and our first major policy announcement ahead of the election. Its not just throwing cash at the NHS and hoping for the best either. Our manifesto will also set out a ‘five-point recovery plan’ for NHS and social care services.

This is already proven to be a very popular policy, at least 70% of Brits would happily pay an extra 1p in every pound if that money was guaranteed to go to the NHS, an ITV poll found last October.

Tessa said:

"Our fab Doctors and nurses are working flat out, but without proper funding and a plan our NHS is at real risk.

Right now in Somerset we are seeing patients lying on trolleys in hospital corridors, urgent operations being cancelled and the elderly being denied the care they need.

The Liberal Democrats are prepared to be honest with people and say that to secure the future of the NHS we will all need to chip in a little more.

Local MP Tessa last week joined staff at the Vine Surgery in Street for the afternoon.

Tessa was very keen to experience firsthand how a busy surgery operates. She was greeted by Dr Frances da Cunha and Practice Manager, Dr Sharon Morgan for a tour, before sitting in on some consultations with patients. After a quick break Tessa spoke with Sharon and the Reception team about their roles and changing workloads.

Tessa also spent time meeting with the PPG (Patient Participation Group) representatives, District Nurse Lead and GP’s from other West Mendip Federation Practices.

Tessa said:

“I was delighted to be invited to spend the day at the Vine Street Surgery. Surgeries like Vine Street provide a vital and much valued service to communities”.

“GPs are working harder than ever before to meet demand. “More than 340 million patient consultations are now estimated to be undertaken annually by GPs, up 40 million since 2008.

“Politicians take decisions every day that impact on people’s lives, It’s absolutely vital that we get a real understanding not just of the pressures that many practices are facing, but how greater support from Government would help general practice deliver even better care to patients.”