Labour’s candidate in the Tooting by-election visited St George’s Hospital with shadow Health Secretary Heidi Alexander to show the pressure that the NHS is currently under.
Rosena Allin-Khan works as an emergency doctor at the hospital and gave Ms Alexander a tour around the department on May 27, showing the type of work they do and the strain that they face daily, writes Matt Urquhart.
She believes that her unique position as both doctor and councillor perfectly places her to see the effects the Government’s financial cuts are having on staff and residents.
She said: "It is about preventing further unnecessary cuts to our vital services at St George’s Hospital and I would be a fantastic local champion with front line experience, 11 years in the NHS, totally Tooting, to take this voice forward.
"Above and beyond being a doctor I am also a local councillor so I can see in the community how it affects people and I am also a local mother with children who have had to use the St George’s health service, they have been admitted overnight."
She believes that protecting Tooting’s public services from further cuts is a key issue for residents and says she will fight for them if she were to become MP.
May 28: Yvette Cooper MP joins Rosena Allin-Khan on campaign trail in Earlsfield
She said: "The crisis that our NHS is in at the moment is affecting everyone, whether they are a Labour voter, a Conservative voter, young, old, whatever ethnic group they come from.
"It is the lifeblood of our community and I will work tirelessly to protect it for everyone."
Ms Alexander, who is MP for Lewisham East, acknowledged the hard work of staff at the hospital to deliver excellent care to patients.
However, she is worried the government cuts are preventing the service from providing a fast and efficient enough service for residents.
Ms Alexander said: "It is clear that after six years of a Tory Government the NHS in Tooting, like the rest of the country, is under a huge amount of pressure.
"Patients are having to wait longer in A and E or to see their GP, while cuts to social care mean older people getting stuck in hospital because they can’t get the care and support they need at home.
"Tooting needs an MP who will stand up for our NHS in Parliament. With her record as a frontline doctor, I can think of no one better than Rosena to be that voice."
The by-election will take place on June 16.
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