Penrith and The Border has more community hospitals than any other constituency in Britain (Brampton, Alston, Penrith, and Wigton). They are, have always been, and will always be under threat. In 2005 one in four of all Cumbrians signed a petition to keep the hospitals open. They were saved and the Primary Care Trust and its successors have since committed to keeping them.
The reason community hospitals matter more so now than ever before, is because our needs in Cumbria are changing. In the next twenty years we will have twice the number of people over 85 in Cumbria. Those aged over 65 is set to rise to 35 per cent over the same period, and hospital admissions are likely to rise by 60 per cent because of increasing long years of chronic illness. This will be a financial disaster for the NHS, which could face an extra 20 million pounds of costs in Alzheimers treatment in Cumbria alone, each year.
Rory has welcomed the news that Cumbria Health on Call (CHoC) has been named regional champion and is through to the finals of the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards. Rory nominated six healthcare providers and professionals for these awards, which are designed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the NHS by recognising outstanding examples of care […]
Rory has paid a visit to Wigton Youth Station to talk to young people about mental health issues and find out about their exciting new mental health project, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. The youth group was recently given £10,000 by the Big Lottery Fund to help young people tackle mental health issues. […]
Today Rory personally took Chris Bryant’s Private Members’ Bill, which increases the sentences for those who attack emergency services personnel, through the House of Commons on behalf of the Government. The Bill introduces new factors to be considered by a judge when sentencing someone who has assaulted a member of the emergency services. These factors […]
Rory visited Cold Springs Care Home in Penrith on 20 April in advance of National Care Home Day to speak with staff and residents, and gain a greater understanding of the provision of care. National Care Home Day was introduced in 2012 to strengthen links between care homes and their local communities, encouraging people, clubs, […]
Rory Stewart MP and Jacob Reid MYP chaired a mental health roundtable discussion for local Penrith and The Border schools today. Staff and students from twelve primary and secondary schools from the constituency assembled to share their views on the best ways of tackling mental health issues for young people. Both groups contributed to a productive discussion with the […]
Rory has nominated six Cumbrian healthcare providers for the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards, which are designed to celebrate the NHS’s 70th anniversary by honouring outstanding local teams, projects and people. It was a difficult decision but, in the end, Rory nominated the Alston Alliance for the Healthier Communities Award, the Eden Community Nursing Teams for the […]
Rory Stewart MP has praised the work of Eden’s District Nursing teams after they battled through snow and wind to care for patients during Storm Emma. With the help of Mountain Rescue, and members of the public with four wheel drive vehicles, or farmers with tractors, teams from Kirkby Stephen, Penrith and Alston endured heavy […]
Penrith and The Border MP Rory Stewart has joined forces with local Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for Carlisle and Eden, Jacob Reid, to raise awareness of mental heath issues for young people in Cumbria, as part of Time to Talk Day on Thursday 1 February 2018. ‘Time to Talk’ is an initiative led by Time to […]
Penrith and The Border MP Rory Stewart is urging constituents to take care of themselves and their neighbours this winter. Every year, winter puts increased pressure on our NHS and emergency services, due to the combination of cold weather, increased levels of flu, sicker patients and staff illness, and the ‘Stay Well This Winter’ campaign has […]
Prior to yesterday’s announcements all Cumbrian MPs were briefed by the Success Regime about the future of Cumbria’s community hospitals and the implications for in-patient beds. Rory Stewart said: “I have pushed consistently for the retention of beds in our community hospitals. I have also pushed consistently for the regime to engage with our Leagues […]