Health Archives - Tom Hunt MP for Ipswich

Queens Speech Reaction

May 10, 2022 0 Comments by Chris in Crime Education Health Immigration Infrastructure Misc Opportunities for young people Uncategorized

A few thoughts on the Queen’s speech. Will be making a speech about it on Thursday. It was an amazing experience being in the Royal gallery but sorry not to see the Queen who I know we’re all thinking about at the moment.

Treehouse Children’s Hospice

February 25, 2022 0 Comments by Chris in Health

I was privileged this morning to visit The Treehouse children’s hospice. The hospice supports children and their families in many ways, including therapy, play, pain and symptom management, respite, and end of life care.

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices is rightly a very valued organisation in our community, and I know it is something a large number of my constituents feel strongly about supporting.

Today I saw exactly how much work and dedication goes into the support the incredibly team here is able to provide. The facilities are really wonderful, but what makes this place so special is the people behind it. The nurses and every individual on the team clearly put all of their energy into their important, difficult, and rewarding role. I have a lot of respect for the team here making such a difference to the children and families they support.

I will be doing everything I can to support The Treehouse and EACH. EACH relies heavily on philanthropy and fundraising through their 43 shops, and events. The true cost of failing to support families is much higher than investing and providing proper psychological and therapy support to siblings and parents. Collaborating with other East Anglia MPs, I will be writing letters of support for children’s hospice funding to be on a parity with adult hospice funding, which it currently isn’t.

Grassroots Sports

January 24, 2022 0 Comments by Chris in Health

Whether it’s the BMX club in Gainsborough, the boxing club in Nacton, or the Ipswich Vales Exiles FC serving Maidenhall and Chantry, grassroots sports clubs and facilities are incredibly valuable to the local community. Supporting young people from some of the most disadvantaged communities should be seen as crucial for levelling up.

Today I asked the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities if provisions would be made for grassroots sport in the levelling up funds.

I was pleased to hear the Secretary of State confirm that the levelling up bids will be able to support grassroots sport and cultural assets, which are crucial to ensuring young people have the opportunities they need and deserve.

I will be working closely with Ipswich Borough Council and other local partners to ensure that a successful bid is submitted, and that Ipswich benefits from new government investment in addition to the £25 million the Town is already receiving from the Town Fund.

Discussion on Men’s Mental Health

November 11, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

At Chantry Library today we discussed a men’s mental health group. The last year and a half have been incredibly difficult for all of us, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that mental health has been impacted. I think a men’s mental health group is a great idea and hope this really takes off.

We also talked about the purchase of a new amnesty knife bin, a tool to combat knife crime. We know the devastating consequences of knife crime and carrying weapons – it’s important we do whatever we can to reduce knife crime.

Aqua Pharmacy

November 8, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

I was pleased to visit Aqua Pharmacy again last Friday to congratulate them on their recent milestone of administering 50,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a massive achievement and one the whole team at Aqua should be very proud of.

The vaccine and booster programmes are essential in getting us through the next few months, so I would like to encourage people if you haven’t already to go and get you vaccine and booster vaccination.

While I was at Aqua I was disappointed to hear about some of the abuse they have been getting from those who do not think vaccination is the right decision.

The staff at Aqua Pharmacy should be commended for what they are doing, not receiving threats.

Papworth Trust

November 5, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

Just visited the team at Papworth Trust again to meet many of the customers and management team. They continue to provide an outstanding service in Ipswich to those who need supported living. I was welcomed by Hayley, the great receptionist and Helena from the leadership team. I arrived just as lunch was being made, with a homemade Moussaka by the residents for the team.

Many people won’t be aware that Papworth Trust also has an outreach programme of carers that work in the community. It’s clearly a demanding job and as it is only getting harder and harder, putting the carers under real stress. Due to the increase demand and pressures for the important services of the Papworth team, it has resulted in a loss of 50% of their workforce and a constant recruitment battle.

It is vital that the outreach carers who want to stay in this incredibly valuable role have the support from government to do so and I will be writing to the Secretary of State urgently outlining my concerns and raising this in the Chamber to see what further support can be given. I want to continue to stand by the great team at Papworth Trust and make sure they have the support they deserve.

Orwell Quay

October 13, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health Misc

Just met 12 residents at Orwell Quay, where two buildings will follow St Francis Tower in receiving Building Safety Fund support for remediations.

As well as pressing for improvements to the conditions residents are enduring in St Francis Tower, I have been following the progress of Orwell Quay. It’s important that leaseholders are engaged in the process and that a collaborative approach is taken.

I think the proposed cover for Orwell Quay is better than the thick plastic shrinkwrap used on St Francis Tower, though the new material is still not ideal. It’s called “netting”, hardly. Residents are still understandably frustrated by delays, as well as the complexity of the issue.

I’m aware that there are further buildings within Orwell Quay which also require work on cladding but do not qualify for the Building Safety Fund due to the height restrictions, which is an issue I’m watching keenly.

St Francis Tower

July 10, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

I’m doing my best to represent my constituents who live in St Francis Tower as forcefully as possible. The work needs to be carried out but it needs to be carried out in a way which is sensitive to the living conditions and mental health of those who are currently living in the tower. Expecting residents to live in near darkness for potentially up to a year is clearly not an option that any reasonable person would be prepared to accept.

I’m sure there is a way around this and of the way taking place in a much more acceptable way for local residents. Situation made more difficult by the seeming refusal of the managing agent to even bother responding to letters.

Read Article

ST FRANCIS TOWER

June 18, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

I was very disturbed by what I witnessed during my visit to St Francis Tower yesterday to meet residents. A massive shrink wrap now covers the Tower. My constituents are literally living in the dark, virtually no natural sun light. No consultation and they’ve been told it could all last 18 months.

Bizarrely construction work on the building hasn’t even started. I fear that this will be debilitating to the mental health of my constituents.

The building manager has shown a total lack of respect and regard to St Francis Road residents and it cannot continue.

I have already written one letter to the building manager but will be sending a second very strongly worded letter following my visit. I will also be alerting the Housing Minister and raising in Parliament as many times as I need to until this is sorted.

As a word “angry” doesn’t do justice to the emotions I felt when I left the Tower.

Papworth Trust

May 27, 2021 0 Comments by Chris in Health

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from Sammy Steven who is a customer at the Papworth trust on Foundation St in Ipswich, which is a trust which does fantastic work supporting the disabled community in Ipswich and adults with learning disabilities. When the lockdown started, they were very down and didn’t know how they would cope. Because of the exceptional work done by the staff and volunteers they made it work and they created a lockdown journal. They became journalists and wrote about their experiences so they will remember them forevermore and they also tried new things. They became poets and music instructors. I asked Jacob Rees-Mogg if the Government would find time for us to debate in the House of Commons how we fund and how we structure these services to support adults who have got learning disabilities, but also to focus on what they can do positively, not always on what they can’t.

Jacob Rees-Mogg responded by saying that we should always think about what people can do and we should always be positive as a society. He told me that he was glad to hear about the work of the Papworth Trust. He acknowledged that organisations like this are a lifeline of support for some of the most vulnerable in our communities and everything that can be done to support them should be done.

Category: Health