Dear Sir, I was a little disappointed the Conservative candidate chose not to respond to my letter, when she had been so keen to ‘set the record straight’ in relation to previous letters from other constituents. My letter outlined how the Tory government abandoned my parents, who from being teenagers worked hard and paid into the system. My Mam now suffers from progressive MS and is severely disabled, and my dad cares for her. But the cruel and callous Conservative cuts which have savaged our NHS means my Mam doesn’t get the treatment she needs and my Dad goes without the support he duly deserves.
Maybe the silence of the Tory candidate is a reflection of the Tory party plans for families like mine who need a functioning NHS and a social care system that isn’t plunged into crisis? They simply don’t have any and the Conservative U-turn on the ‘dementia tax’ is a great example of this governments lack of understanding of the social care crisis facing the country. Having stripped billions from social care budgets, the uncaring Conservatives have left 1.2 million people without the care they need. As for the NHS, the savage Conservative cuts mean people are waiting longer in A&E, for cancer treatment, for an ambulance. Or in my Mam’s care just not receiving the care she needs at all.
The MS nurse that once visited our home doesn’t any more, because of Conservative cuts. As my Mam’s conditioned worsened so did her access to the health care she needs. My parents aren’t alone in not receiving the support they deserve. There are families across Newton Aycliffe for whom this will feel all too familiar. Part of me wonders if the Tory candidate didn’t reply to my letter in last week’s edition because of the job I do, maybe she felt I was underserving. But that letter wasn’t about me, it was about my Mam and Dad, and they most definitely deserve better. Hannah Siddle
