Labour candidate for The Forest of Dean, Matt Bishop, visited the Dilke hospital site this week, highlighting how keen he is to see these iconic sites in The Forest remain a part of the community as they’re repurposed into the future.
“The history of the Dilke, funded in part by local miners, makes the site a very emotional one for many people,” Matt said. “I want to encourage local groups with an interest in using the former hospitals to come forward.”
It’s not the only legacy site that Matt wants to see properly repurposed. “Lydney Hospital means a lot to people too,” he said. “Both hospitals should have a future that allows Foresters to benefit from them.”
Labour has set out its plans to get the NHS back on its feet by cutting waiting times and improving access to services. Matt Bishop wants to make sure The Forest of Dean is at the heart of those plans. Like many people, he’s angry that dentists in the Forest of Dean are not accepting new NHS patients. There are many families in the Forest of Dean who cannot see a dentist at all.
Matt said: “Children in the Forest of Dean are being admitted to hospital because of rotten teeth. It’s like a return to Victorian Britain.”
Labour has a plan to rescue NHS dentistry with:
- 700,000 more appointments a year
- Targeted dentist recruitment scheme
- Supervised tooth-brushing in schools
As a governor for NHS hospitals in Gloucestershire, Matt is well aware of what the local NHS services need from the central government. With a Labour candidate in parliament, The Forest of Dean can get the attention it deserves, and the backing it needs to return our services to prominence once again.
“I will fight for a better and stronger NHS,” Matt said. “Local people need better access to high-quality services and dentistry when needed.”