Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke, has called for an emergency Health and Care Budget to bolster local health services she claims are on the brink of crisis.

In a significant shift in local political landscape, the Liberal Democrats secured six seats in Somerset during the recent General Election, predominantly colouring the region orange. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party retained just one seat in Bridgwater, a stark reduction from their previous four.

Central to the Liberal Democrat campaign was a pledge to overhaul the NHS and care services, promising enhancements such as an increase in GPs, more NHS dentists, and additional staffed hospital beds. The party has now urged for the implementation of an Emergency Health and Care Budget within the next month to facilitate crucial investments in local NHS and social care services.

Somerset has witnessed a decline in healthcare provision, with a loss of 54 fully qualified GPs since 2016. Furthermore, only 37% of adults in the county received dental consultations in 2023, a significant drop from 56% in 2017.

MP Sarah Dyke said: "I am incredibly proud of the positive campaign that the Liberal Democrats have run in Glastonbury and Somerton, delivering the change that our area was desperately crying out for. Whether you voted for me or not, I will work tirelessly for you, to give Glastonbury and Somerton the fair deal that we all deserve.

"That is why I am calling for an emergency Health and Care Budget to fix our NHS, which has been brought to its knees by years of Conservative Party neglect. We have listened to the concerns that countless people have put to us on the doorstep, from the crisis facing our local health services to the filthy sewage being pumped into our rivers, to spiralling mortgages and rents, and I promise to be your local champion and take these issues right to the heart of Parliament."