State of health services in Bridlington is 'shocking'
Mike Heslop-Mullens is calling for the Government to help fund the NHS in the county to allow them to attract more GPs
Last updated 8th Jul 2022
An East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor in Bridlington says the state of the town's health services are "shocking."
Mike Heslop-Mullens is calling for the Government to help fund the NHS in the county to allow them to attract more GPs.
He made the comment after conducting a aurvey of residents in the Bridlington North area, which he posted through residents' doors. So far, he has received 142 replies.
Mike said: “There is high levels of dissatisfaction with GP services with many residents only getting phone appointments. People are asking why the GP’s are not returning to their surgeries. The survey again shows that residents want a proper functioning A&E at Bridlington Hospital.
"It is disgraceful that we have a near-empty hospital on our doorstep and yet patients are being forced to travel around Yorkshire to get treatment. The Conservatives promised that they would return the A&E before the 2010 Election. Twelve years later we see no signs of it being returned.
"We came third lowest in the league table of GPs per 100,000 for the whole of the county and that was an average. When I looked at the Bridlington side of it, I discovered that coastal towns are around 27, so they're around half the average. It's not enough for a town like Bridlington to have such low numbers.
"It's very difficult to get to see a GP because a lot of them are working so many hours, because of the numbers, that they're having to delay seeing people for days on end. It's not fair on the GPs because people are complaining to them but it's not their fault if there's nobody there for them to see, and it's not fair for the patients because there should be somebody there.
"Now it's just sitting and waiting. The leader of the council said 'we always lobby Government for health and welfare' however, it's a question of are they lobbying hard enough and are they lobbying the MPs to work on our behalf? I don't think the MPs are working on our behalf so we need that to be pushed."