The National Campaign Day for the NHS was supported in Ross-on-Wye last Saturday at the Labour Party stall in the Market Place. The weather was not at its best, but a successful collection for the Community Larder, lively discussions with visitors to the stall and distribution of information made braving the cold and rain worthwhile.

A GP based in London but living in Ross was available at the stall to provide an inside view on some of the major issues currently affecting the NHS, as reported in the national and local media.

Examples were shared by Ross residents at the Campaign Stall of the delays experienced when the Minor Injuries Unit is closed and some felt that it is unclear where to go for treatment, local GP out of hours service or a journey to A&E at Hereford, and potentially a long wait to be seen.

The opinion poll held at the stall, encouraged local people to share their concerns on aspects of the health service, resulting in the following votes: Privatisation of the NHS 41%, Waiting Times for Treatment & Operations 26%; Minor Injuries Unit & Community Hospital 18%; Access to GP Appointments 14%. These results indicate that more local people are concerned about the effects of proposed changes to the NHS rather than access to local medical services such as those provided by GPs and the local hospital.

Details of future Labour Party meetings can be found on the Herefordshire Labour website www.herefordshirelabour.com or on Facebook: Ross & District Labour Party.