Having the best possible healthcare for our area is the most pressing issue. It’s the issue that is most frequently raised with me, and I had an overwhelming response to my own health survey that I conducted last year. There is a deep frustration that access to healthcare is moving further away from our communities. I am currently the vice president of Montgomeryshire MND association and my staff and I have all been trained to be dementia friends. During recent years I have supported a wide range of organisations such as Diabetes UK. No issue will be more important to Montgomeryshire’s AM over the next five years than our NHS. We rely heavily on services at Shrewsbury, Bronglais and Wrexham Maelor. Services at these hospitals need to be secured and strengthened. I have long been arguing for services to be focused on Shrewsbury, rather than Telford, which is too far away for the people of Mid Wales. I will also be campaigning for the best possible outcome from the NHS "Future Fit" programme, which is due to reach conclusions on changing the current model of healthcare which serves Shropshire and Mid Wales by Spring 2017. We need the new ‘Emergency Centre’ to be based in Shrewsbury, and I will continue to work closely with our MP Glyn Davies to campaign for this. I was pleased that my own party has committed to introducing a Community Hospital Development Fund, which will exist to strengthen and upgrade our existing hospitals, such as in Llanidloes, Newtown, Welshpool and Machynlleth. We must also redouble our efforts in tackling the scourge of cancer and Welsh Conservatives have committed to introducing a Cancer Patients’ Fund which would widen access to modern, life-extending cancer medication. We must end the post code lottery which currently exists. Our NHS will be my top priority.
