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Carers Week

This week is Carers Week, when we raise awareness of the under-recognised and under-valued service provided by unpaid carers, all year round. Over six million people across our country, of all ages and backgrounds, spend their time caring for family members, friends and dependents. My experience of caring for my mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, […]

RNIB’s SOS campaign reveals 50% of sight loss ‘avoidable’

I recently attended the launch in Parliament of the new eye health campaign called Save or Sight (SOS), by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).  The campaign highlights the fact that 50% of sight loss cases are avoidable. I welcome the RNIB’s campaign to improve early diagnosis and access to treatment for people in Oldham and […]

Shocking Increases and Variations in Council Charges for Home Care Services

I am shocked by the scale of charge increases for home care, which is used by the most vulnerable in society.  The Government must take responsibility for the care crisis after cutting more than £1 billion from local authorities’ budgets for older people, since the coalition came to power.  Home care services allow people to […]

Labour is ‘last line of defence’ for Oldham’s NHS

  The argument in Westminster about the Government’s NHS Bill may have ended but council leader Jim McMahon and I are determined that Labour’s fight for the NHS in Oldham is just beginning. Jim has said today: “Oldham’s NHS is coming under sustained attack from David Cameron. The Tory-led Government’s NHS re-organisation is already causing […]

Walking for Prostate Cancer

  My job this week has brought me into contact with an inspirational man called Nigel Lewis-Baker. Nigel has been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and yet he’s raising money for research by walking from John O’Groats to Land’s End with his friends, father and daughter Alan and Charlie Carr, as part of their Prostate […]

Oldham’s ‘Drop the Bill’ Petition Delivered to Department of Health

On 19 March Andy Burnham and I handed in a 475 signature Drop the Bill petition collected by Labour party supporters in Oldham over the weekend of 10th and 11th March. Many thanks to Phil Gaul for setting up the stall and the rest of the team who helped me collect signatures for the petition. And a […]

Did you ‘take the leap’ on No Smoking Day?

I hope many of Oldham’s smokers decided to ‘take the leap’ and stop smoking on No Smoking Day on 14th March. To help with the campaign I posed with a giant cigarette stub as you can see from the photo! As a former chair of North West Ash (Action on Smoking and Health) I know […]

Running the Sport Relief Mile

On Wednesday 14th March several MPs ran the Westminster Mile for Sport Relief! I came in at 7 minutes and 5 seconds and was the second fastest female MP! It was a great afternoon with MPs from all sides of the House pulling together to do their bit for a wonderful charity. You can donate or […]

Parliamentary Speech on the National Health Service

On 26 October I spoke in the House of Commons on the National Health Service complete with interventions from other members.  It is always a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter). I do not want to impugn his integrity, or to suggest that what he wants for […]

Wear it Pink

This week I’m joining forces with Breast Cancer Campaign to raise awareness of its biggest fundraising event, wear it pink day. It’d be great if everyone in Oldham, and throughout the country, supports wear it pink to raise valuable funds for breast cancer research as so many of us know people who have lost friends and family members […]

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