Wes Streeting: 'More to do' for North East NHS issues

Patients from across the region gathered in Middlesbrough on Saturday (November 16) to speak to the senior minister, who kicked off a regional tour in a bid to get feedback for the new 10-Year Health Plan - designed to reform regional disparities.

Following his visit, he told The Northern Echo that there are "real pressures" in the region when it comes to the NHS.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting talks to locals in Middlesbrough. (Image: DFH) Earlier this month, what was described as a "sophisticated scam" dentist was set up in Shildon - and conned locals out of cash despite no such practice existing.

Trading Standards at Durham County Council at the time had five complaints about the supposed new venture and warned people to stay alert.

The state of dentistry was one of the subjects included in The Northern Echo's manifesto in the run up to the last General Election, calling for the new government to fix care in our region something dentists warned was "hanging by a thread"  in what was described as a "denhtal desert".

But still, as of November 17, no dentists in Darlington are accepting new NHS patients.

When asked about this, Mr Streeting was surprised by the scam and claimed the government has "prioritised" dentistry. 

He said: "It says a lot about the rot that has set into NHS dentistry that people are setting up scams to con people out of money because they are also desperate to get a dentist.

"It’s why we’ve prioritised dentistry in our manifesto. We are going to deliver 700,000 more urgent dentistry appointments.

"We also need to reform the NHS dentistry contract. Everyone understands that it is going to take time to rebuild NHS dentistry.

"That’s our ambition and it is something that North East MPs have been particularly vocal on."

Another pressing issue faced by people in the region is maternity services.

An alarming report in September 2023 stated that Darlington Memorial Hospital's maternity ward was "inadequate" - with a new report in April upping the rating to "requires improvement".

In a damning assessment in 2023, the report stated that "staff did not consistently assess risks to women and birthing people, nor act on them".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting talks to locals in Middlesbrough. (Image: DFH)

A watchdog report in January also found maternity services at James Cook University Hospital and the Friarage Hospital "require improvement" as understaffing and a poor environment left mothers and their babies "at risk". 

When asked about these issues directly, Mr Streeting confirmed maternity care is of paramount importance.

"Of all patient safety issues, this is the one that is of highest concern to me. We have got a commitment to train up thousands more midwives but we’ve got to make sure that maternity care today is as safe as it can possibly be.

"We are pulling together a range of reports and different things we have seen on maternity together so we can make sure that lessons are being learned right across the country so that women can go into labour knowing that they are going to receive safe care every time.

"We are a far cry from that now and understand that change will take time but this is a very high priority for me and the government."

Recommended:

• Northern Echo Manifesto: Dental deserts in the North East
• Darlington and Durham hospital maternity ward 'inadequate'
• Shildon scam dentist cons County Durham people out of hundreds

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Summing up his time in Middlesbrough, Mr Streeting said: "We have had people from right across the region come to Middlesbrough to share their experiences of using the NHS, but crucially what they want changed.

"Today has absolutely confirmed to me that involving patients as well as the people who work in the NHS in the discussion about its future is absolutely the right thing to do.

"I have listened a lot today, I have learned a lot today, and I want patients to have their fingerprints on the NHS plan."