I would like to take this opportunity in my first column of 2017 to wish readers a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Over the last few days and with the dawning of the New Year we have seen a number of stories about the winter pressures on our health services. People are using our health services in record numbers and the demand for health services at this particular time is tremendous. I spoke to senior management at the George Eliot hospital this week and was pleased to hear that they were working hard to deal with the challenges faced by the demand for services, particularly in A&E. I would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their hard work to support patients during this busy period. The volume of people using our A&E services is a reminder of just how important they are to our local area. There has been great deal of speculation about the future of certain services at the Eliot following the draft Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) being produced by the local NHS. The Government has committed an extra £10 billion to our national health service, with £4.5 billion of that being spent this year. The STP process is not about managing reductions in funding but how, over the coming years, the increasing demand can be catered for within our local health system. At a local level no plans for any major service changes have yet been published. The local NHS does not seem yet to have put forward anything substantive upon which the public may be consulted. I am told that any major service changes would require consultation with local people and will also need the blessings of health professionals. I am very keen to see the final report published as soon as possible so that we can understand and respond to the eventual proposals. I certainly would not support any which significantly disadvantage the people whom I represent. As far as I am concerned the hallmark of any new proposal has to be the patient and the care which they receive. The approach I take is always to put patients before politics. I have been very disappointed to see how the Labour Party has sought to use the STP process as a political campaign. If categoric plans had been put on the table already to close services then I would not complain about that approach. Inevitably that will provoke a political debate. But what is going on at present is having a deeply damaging and destabilising effect which is particularly tough on staff morale. There are also people who may be put off using the hospital and choose another thereby losing the former hospital important funding. Over the last few years the hospital has come a long way with increased numbers of doctors and nurses resulting in service improvements which have been widely recognised. Making public claims on the back of supposition and hearsay does not help the hospital’s funding or help that organisation to focus on continuing to improve patient care. Until more information from the local NHS is available I think all local politicians should resolve to hold fire and get behind those who work hard on our behalf to provide these vital services.