ILKLEY'S MP Robbie Moore is welcoming sweeping reforms to the way the NHS is run.

The reforms were announced in Parliament by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The government says the reforms will reduce bureaucracy and increase integration between the NHS and social care system, saving lives and improving health outcomes. A primary focus will be the overall health of the population, with a strong emphasis on prevention and overall public health.

Keighley and Ilkley MP Mr Moore said: “I welcome this new white paper which will put better service integration and patient outcomes at the heart of local healthcare provision.

"Making our Health service as efficient as possible by cutting red tape and easing pressure on frontline healthcare workers can only be a good thing. Better integration of services should mean that more money can be spent on key areas to ensure that patients are receiving the best healthcare available.

“The introduction of these reforms is one of the many ways that we are building back better from the coronavirus pandemic. I will continue to push the Government for more support for Airedale General Hospital, including making the case for a new hospital building on the current Steeton site.”

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock MP said: “The NHS and local government have long been calling for better integration and less burdensome bureaucracy, and this virus has made clear the time for change is now.”

“These changes will allow us to build back better and bottle the innovation and ingenuity of our brilliant staff during the pandemic, where progress was made despite the legal framework, rather than because of it.”

“The proposals build on what the NHS has called for and will become the foundations for a health and care system which is more integrated, more innovative and responsive, and more ready to respond to the challenges of tomorrow, from health inequalities to our ageing population.”

The government says the the experience of the pandemic has demonstrated what works and what doesn’t in the health service, adding that experiences of health staff have informed the shape of the reforms.

It says decision making about local health matters will be taken at local levels, with local authorities and care providers being integrated as far as possible to ensure continuity of service and value for taxpayers. Ministers will have greater accountability over health matters