Health Services: Bridlington

In the House of Commons adjournment debate on health services in Bridlington, the MP for Bridlington and The Wolds, Charlie Dewhirst, highlighted the significant challenges facing his coastal constituency. He described Bridlington as having the oldest and most deprived population in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with men in the Bridlington South ward having a life expectancy 10 years lower than the county average. Dewhirst noted that two of the three wards covering the town are the two most deprived in the county, and the other is the fifth highest. Dewhirst expressed concern over the lack of access to healthcare services in Bridlington, particularly the shortage of NHS dentists, with entire classrooms of children never having seen a dentist, and patients being sent over 60 miles for emergency dental work. He also raised issues with primary care access, as well as the underutilization of the Bridlington hospital site, which has seen a 35% reduction in outpatient appointments over the past four years. Dewhirst argued that this is unacceptable, given the town's aging population and high levels of long-term health conditions. Responding on behalf of the government, the Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, acknowledged the validity of Dewhirst's concerns, stating that the government is committed to fixing the "broken" health and care system. Kinnock highlighted the government's plans to reform the dental contract, increase access to urgent dental appointments, and improve primary care access through measures such as recruiting more GPs. He also noted that the government is considering the capital requirements for the Bridlington hospital site as part of the upcoming spending review. Regarding the broader challenges facing coastal communities, Kinnock agreed that the recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer's 2021 report on the health of coastal communities would need to be factored into the government's forthcoming 10-year health plan. He recognized that the demographic and service provision challenges in places like Bridlington are not unique and require a targeted, place-based approach to address the health inequalities.