Dr Dan Poulter MP column: ‘Light at the end of the tunnel as new year begins’
Now that the New Year is well under way, I thought it important to highlight some of the good things that are happening in Suffolk. We all know that Britain has been facing a troubled economic outlook for some time, but our Prime Minister David Cameron is making good progress in getting our national deficit under control and there are also many good reasons for us to be optimistic here in Suffolk.
Our local NHS is performing well, and under the leadership of the interim Chief Executive Nigel Beverley, Ipswich Hospital received one of the best quality of care reports of any hospital in the East of England. In response to requests from local heart patients and their families, I worked hard to obtain Government funding for a new heart unit at Ipswich Hospital and was delighted it was announced that the Government is giving £5 million to the new unit which will mean that heart patients in our area will no longer have the difficulty and inconvenience of travelling long distances to Cambridge for routine treatment. And thanks to a long standing campaign started by my predecessor Michael Lord (now Lord Framlingham), I am also pleased to have played my part in achieving the £1.5 million refurbishment of Hartismere Community Hospital in Eye, which provides close to home healthcare for many people, particularly the elderly, living in rural Suffolk.
I firmly believe that people who have worked hard for our country deserve to be properly looked after in their retirement, and I am pleased that even in tough times, we are looking after pensioners, older people and the retired, who are often on fixed incomes. Thanks to changes introduced by our Government, last year, the basic state pension increased by £276 per year and for the foreseeable future we are protecting free winter fuel payments, and free bus passes for pensioners.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my work as your local MP is supporting our local farmers and food and drink producers. I regularly visit our local farmers markets to buy fresh, reasonably priced, locally produced meat, fish, and other local produce and shall soon be leading a local campaign to encourage everyone in Suffolk to support their local farmers.
Dr Dan Poulter is MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
For more information please visit www.drdanielpoulter.com
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Weather for Diss
Thursday 23 May 2013
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