Saqib Bhatti MP, Member of Parliament for Meriden, has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ask for her support in restoring Accident and Emergency (A&E) services to the Solihull borough. The letter explained the difficulties faced by Solihull borough residents having to travel to hospitals in different areas to access A&E services. These journeys can be long and arduous for residents who do not have cars and for those who struggle with travelling for long periods, making accessing this vital medical service increasingly difficult. Saqib launched his campaign on 14th May 2024 and is collecting signatures from residents of the Solihull borough to highlight the strength of feeling within the community on this issue. He has also asked the Secretary of State to launch a review in conjunction with the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board to assess how to best deliver A&E services to the Solihull borough.
Saqib has long been a champion of healthcare within the Meriden constituency and the wider Solihull borough, with his campaigns leading to the opening of several new medical facilities. At Solihull Hospital his campaign secured an Urgent Treatment Centre, which is up and running, providing treatment for patients with minor injuries and illnesses. Alongside a Locality Hub providing early intervention and crisis response care, and new state-of-the-art surgical suites to be installed shortly. These facilities are added to by the securing of a Community Diagnostic Centre in Chelmsley Wood, helping to ease pressure on GP appointments by providing 116,000 tests, checks and scans. Saqib is clear that the next step in local healthcare is to restore A&E services to the Solihull borough to provide his constituents with more convenient access to this life-saving medical care.
Commenting on the petition, Saqib said:
“Since being elected in 2019 I have always pushed for more health resources in the borough of Solihull, not least because our population is growing. This is a continuing issue for residents of the Solihull borough who are united in their calls for A&E services to be delivered locally to improve access to this vital medical service. As a result, I am now launching a campaign for “A&E Services for Solihull”. This will include a petition for residents of the Solihull borough to sign, showing their support for the campaign and illustrating their strength of feeling on this topic.”
“With a population already over 216,000, there is no reason for residents to be sent to other areas to access A&E health services. As a community, we can come together to ensure we have the best medical facilities possible, if you would like to support my campaign please go to https://www.saqibbhatti.org.uk/petition-ae-services-solihull-borough.”
