NHS at 75: Health service is 'in need of resuscitation' warns Sunderland MP

A North East MP warned the NHS is "in need of resuscitation" as it approached its landmark 75th birthday.

Speaking on the BBC's Politics North show, Sharon Hodgson (Lab, Washington and Sunderland West) slammed the Government's record looking after the health service and said it was "in catastrophe". Asked to give a "condition check" on the state of the NHS, she shared serious fears for its future.

Ms Hodgson said: "I'd say it's gone beyond critical. It's actually in cardiac arrest and in need of resuscitation now. Bring on the next general election because the only way it's going to get the help it needs is with a new Labour government. This government has just failed the NHS, it's now in catastrophe."

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Speaking on the Sunday BBC show, she then accused the Conservative Party's Lord Kirkhope of rewriting history and said: "It's so sad to see the state of the NHS."

Lord Kirkhope said this criticism was "rather churlish", adding: "Credit where credit's due. We have announced £2.4bn over the next five years", he added, referring to the NHS workforce plan published last Friday.

That plan - described as the "first comprehensive workforce plan" for the NHS features says that there will be a further 300,000 nurses, doctors and other health workers are to be employed across the NHS in England by 2037.

Lord Kirkhope added: "We have our new approach, which is actually based on a lot of work that's gone on behind the scenes and with health service and the professionals in the health service so we end up with this train, retain and reform process which actually the Labour Party itself has great difficulty in opposing.

"This is an enormous change and reform for the health service which frankly we have needed for a long time. IOt's not going to put everything right immediately - of course it's not but the key point is - we are making progress and progress is the thing which governments of all complexions have for too long failed to take on board."

The pair were discussing the NHS's future days before the 75th anniversary of its founding on July 5th.