Shropshire MP leads first Lib Dem Opposition Day in 15 years on GPs, dentists and pharmacies

The restoration of the Liberal Democrats as the largest Opposition third party follows their record-breaking results in the recent General Election. Helen Morgan herself was returned as the first non-Conservative to ever win North Shropshire as a General Election, with a majority of 15,311.

The debate surrounded primary care issues, with the MP raising the ‘8am calling frenzy’ for GP appointment bookings and the shortage of NHS dental treatment as examples of where the system had a ‘closed door’ to patients looking to access care.

This continues a longstanding campaign by the MP to improve services in her North Shropshire constituency, which she claims has been badly let down on health and care issues, referencing a case from a Market Drayton constituent unable to access NHS dental care.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, told the House:

“Primary care is the front door to the health service – but for too many at the moment, that door is closed.

“Whether you're waking up and dealing with the 8am calling frenzy to get a GP appointment, frantically ringing every dental practice in your area for an NHS dentist, or turning up at your local pharmacy to pick up a prescription for a loved one or yourself and finding it unexpectedly closed or the medicine out of stock.

“Primary care is in terrible trouble and it needs fixing urgently.”

Helen raised a case from a Market Drayton constituent unable to find an NHS dentist:

“In my constituency, Ron Kelley is 62, he is disabled and lives in Market Drayton. It is not easy to catch a bus from Market Drayton.

“He has been trying since 2019 to find an NHS dentist in Market Drayton, and still hasn’t been able to find one. My caseworkers have rung every NHS dentist in the constituency, and none of them are taking on new patients – even if he was able to use a bus, he wouldn’t be able to find an NHS dentist in North Shropshire at the moment.”