Abena Welcomes Vital Investment in Erith Health Centre
Erith and Thamesmead’s MP Abena Oppong-Asare has welcomed today’s announcement, which means an upgrade to Erith Health Centre. The investment means Erith is at the forefront of the government’s drive to shift healthcare from hospitals to communities.
At the 2025 Budget, the Labour government committed to build and upgrade hundreds of new Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring health services closer to communities. This means patients will be treated closer to their home through a new neighbourhood health service.
The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring teams together to dramatically improve access to the NHS, free up overstrained hospitals and deliver the best, most cutting-edge and personalised care.
The centres will be part of a new Neighbourhood Health Service that will provide end-to-end care and tailored support – improving access to GPs, helping to prevent complications and avoid the frustration of being passed around the system.
With Labour inheriting record long NHS waiting lists nationally, Oppong-Asare has welcomed the new approach and the decision to invest in Erith.
The MP for Erith and Thamesmead has been working in partnership with local Labour councillors, Cllr Nicola Taylor and Cllr Chris Ball, as well as the Leader of Bexley Labour, Cllr Stefano Borella, to secure the investment Erith residents need both now and for the long term.
Across the country, the Labour government has already made significant progress to get the NHS back on its feet. Waiting lists are falling, down by 374,000 since Labour came to power, and the lowest for around three years.
Abena Oppong-Asare, Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead, said:
“Upgrading Erith Health Centre and singling it out to be in the first wave of Neighbourhood Health Centres will deliver real improvements for local patients and is a huge vote of confidence in local staff.
“When the government announced the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild fund I was determined our community in Erith and Thamesmead should be at the front of the queue. The Labour government has made great strides in cutting NHS waiting lists across the country, to get patients seen faster but we have to modernise the way our NHS delivers care if we are to get the NHS back on its feet.
“Too many people are passed from GP to hospital for checks and treatments which can be delivered closer to home. This investment will help create the space to deliver more services in Erith Health Centre. But the fact staff in Erith have been recognised as ready and willing to make the shift to a neighbourhood model of care is just as significant.
“I’m really proud that NHS staff in Erith have been recognised as pioneers in this way.”
Councillor Stefano Borella, Leader of Bexley Labour Group, said:
“For too long, our NHS has been under immense pressure – struggling to support both local residents in need and the dedicated staff working tirelessly under incredibly challenging conditions. Sadly, this is something we have witnessed first-hand here in Bexley.
“I’m proud that this Labour Government – backed by our local Labour MP, Abena Oppong-Asare – is now delivering the investment needed to ensure people in Erith and Bexley can access care closer to home.
“I look forward to seeing Erith Health Centre flourish under these plans and through working with the Erith ward Councillors Chris Ball and Nicola Taylor this will lead to the real, lasting difference this investment will make for our community.”
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