Here, we ask the candidates standing in the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency at the General Election on July 4 for their views on the NHS.
Ryan Coogan (Reform)
"I never support strike action of any kind, for me there are always other alternatives; many NHS professionals are well paid and retire from a secure but challenging career as millionaires.
"There are individual issues in the NHS that need addressing, its not quite broken but the wheels have fallen off and it needs urgent reform.
"GP surgeries need rapid reform to incorporate new AI technology which could vastly speed up diagnosis. We are already in a world where AI and the latest medical diagnosis technology could replace much of the diagnosis and validation process, allowing immediate skill and resource transfer into treatment areas.
"Walk-in centres like the one in Ely are doing a fantastic job at plugging the gap left by inefficient and poorly managed GP surgeries who suck profit out of the system rather than the community benevolent service that it should encompass.
NHS dentistry needs a complete reform overhaul - it is simply not fit for purpose.
Our reform plan for healthcare is simple if you are not seen within certain sensible timescale, you will be issued a voucher to go and seek the care you need privately.
This policy is in my opinion is a total game changer."
Lucy Frazer Conservative
"Over the last nine years as your MP, local healthcare has been one of my top priorities.
"Together with others, we successfully campaigned to save the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely, and it will be offering even more services - the Community Diagnostic Centre will mean you won't always have to travel for diagnostic tests.
"I campaigned for the new cancer hospital and the new children's hospital on the Addenbrooke's site - giving us more world-class facilities on our doorstep.
"I worked with local healthcare leaders and the council to keep Priors Field Surgery, in Sutton, open, as well as supporting surgeries in Ely and Soham.
"Nationally, we have provided additional funding to the NHS, recruited doctors and nurses, and promoted our ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative which reduces wait times and makes appointments easier and quicker.
"To support dentistry, I have been working with the local health authority to address challenges, backed up by our national Dental Recovery Plan which will deliver extra appointments in the next year.
"Of course there is more to do - waiting lists are too long and we need to bring them down. I commit to working to ensure we get the healthcare you deserve."
Charlotte Cane (Lib Dem)
"Like most of our public services, the NHS feels broken. Hospitals are crumbling. 12,700 hospital beds are occupied by patients waiting to begin care at home.
"Many GP practices are over-stretched or at risk. Cambridgeshire is a dental desert with no-one taking on new NHS patients.
"There are ongoing national pay disputes and more than 100,000 NHS vacancies nationally. Locally I’ve met residents waiting more than a year for surgery, or paying thousands of pounds for private treatment.
"Liberal Democrats would increase the Public Health Grant. Good health, alongside high-quality universal healthcare free at the point of use, means individual freedom and national prosperity.
"We would ensure 8,000 more full-time equivalent GPs—half through recruitment, half from retaining more experienced GPs. We would establish a right to see a GP or most appropriate practice staff member within seven days, or 24 hours if urgent.
"We would reform the NHS contract to attract dentists back from the private sector.
"We would provide free personal care to all who need it, so they can stay healthy at home and return home sooner after hospital treatment; and pay care workers £2 per hour above minimum wage to encourage more people to join the profession."
Elizabeth McWilliams (Labour)
"Staff in the NHS are working harder than ever yet patients are waiting longer than ever.
"I hear this on the doorstep, people who can't get an appointment, or whose lives are on hold while they wait for treatment. I meet NHS staff who are considering leaving their professions because they feel overwhelmed.
"The Tories have systematically failed the NHS. It’s time for change.
"Labour will clear the waiting list backlog with two million more appointments every year, 700,000 more dentist appointments and mental health support available in all schools. We’ll end the 8am scramble for appointments.
"We’ll put community back into health care with Neighbourhood Health Hubs. This simplifies referrals between services and makes access easier for people in rural areas.
"There’s huge pressure on hospital beds because of the crisis in adult social care. People can’t be discharged, causing backlogs in the emergency department and queues of ambulances.
"Labour’s New Deal for Social Care Workers means care workers will have better pay and conditions, training and progression.
"The nation’s children are the biggest casualty of the Tories’ short term politics. That’s why Labour will boost the wellbeing of our children with our Child Health Action Plan."
Hoo Ray Henry (The Official Monster Raving Looney Party)
"On the NHS I've personally seen the best and the worst of the NHS over the last 18 months or so. From the brilliant team at Addenbrookes that helped restore my sight after a torn retina, to a GP practice (not in this constituency!) whose practice management approach actually made the mental health of a patient significantly worse rather than better.
Tempting as it is to suggest that the answer to all the NHS issues is to give it two aspirin (other painkillers are available) and tell it to come back in three week's time if it isn't feeling better, the challenges of delivering a truly national health service are massive and complex.
Might it be too Loony to suggest that if we spent more time on prevention we might have to spend less of the money the country doesn't currently have on treatments that we can't current get anyway?
"That said, we do, of course, have policies specifically designed to reduce the problems facing the NHS from reducing the length of waiting lists by using smaller fonts to cutting the length of time people need to be pregnant from nine months to seven (which we understand may be popular in certain quarters for other reasons too).
"In addition, I can confirm that any possible schemes thought up by Government, council, NHS Trusts, etc, that involve ideas such as the closure of hospitals, workplace parking levies or building new GP surgeries without having doctors to staff them will always be preceded with a public consultation - which we will then ignore.
"And of course, we will always ensure that our policies are fully 'funnied'."
Here is the full list of candidates for the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
We are happy to include responses on the NHS and other topics, going forward, from any of the candidates who are not listed here. Contact Ely Standard Editor Debbie Davies at: debbie.davies@newsquest.co.uk if you are a candidate or agent.
Lucy Frazer (Conservative)
Elizabeth McWilliams (Labour)
Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat)
Ryan Coogan (Reform)
Andy Cogan (Green)
Robert Bayley (Social Democrat Party)
Hoo Ray Henry (The Official Monster Raving Looney Party)
Obi Monye (Independent)
Rob Rawlins (Independent).
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