Renfrewshire’s Labour MPs fail to support motions to fix health and care crises

Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats have criticised Johanna Baxter’s decision not to support a motion that would have seen the Government rescue community healthcare and end the carer's repayment scandal

Paisley & Renfrewshire Souths Labour MP has rejected two parliamentary motions to tackle the health and care crises. While Alison Taylor and Martin McCluskey, who represent Paisley & Renfrewshire North and Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West, were absent for the votes.

Tabled as part of the Liberal Democrats’ first Opposition Day since 2009, the first proposal focused on the Carer’s Allowance repayments scandal, calling on the Government to write off existing overpayments and conduct a full review of support for unpaid carers. 

The second motion urged Ministers to boost access to community healthcare, lambasting the current wait times for GP, NHS dentist and local pharmacy appointments. Shocking recent data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats revealed that in the last year, 45% of Brits have tried and were unable to get an NHS appointment. The statistics further indicated that 1 in 4 people have been unable to work because of this lack of access to appointments. 

The Liberal Democrats’ proposal called for new healthcare mandates which would give everyone the right to see a GP within 7 days (or within 24 hours if in urgent need) and guarantee emergency access to an NHS dentist.

Despite the huge strain on the NHS as we head into the winter months, Labour MPs voted against the motions. Renfrewshire Lib Dems criticised their decision as “deeply disappointing.”

Commenting on the vote, local Liberal Democrat campaigner, Jack Clark, said:

“I’m deeply disappointed to see that the Labour Government opposed these motions. 

"What was even more disappointing was to see our local MPs fail to support motions in Parliament that would see more support for health and care services in our community. 

“The state of local healthcare is dire and the carers’ overpayment scandal is a national disgrace. Families and pensioners across Renfrewshire are in desperate need of a fair deal. 

“That’s why Liberal Democrat MPs threw their support behind these measures - voting to rescue our GPs, NHS dentists, community pharmacists and of course our carers. 

“Locally, we’ll keep putting pressure on Labour MPs to do the right thing. Health and social care must be their top priority.”