Dear <<First Name>>

This week in Westminster has been dominated by the Chancellor’s budget. A top local win was the success of our £19.8m bid to the government’s Levelling Up fund. Elements of our bid have real potential to bring transformation to our town by linking the downland to the seafront and the seafront to the town centre - three major moving parts of the Eastbourne engine. We may also now finally secure our identity as Eastern Gateway Town to the South Downs National Park and harness the national and international attraction this inspires. 
 
Other measures and investments in the Budget will boost skills and productivity, there was more funding for special education places and rate relief for hospitality.  I was especially pleased with the change to the ‘taper rate’ for those on Universal Credit. Essentially, building up your hours will start to work for you.     

Access to face to face GP appointments has been very much in the news and raised also in Parliament this week. I have been speaking to GPs across Eastbourne and Willingdon over many months and their dedication to their patients should not be in doubt.

Surgeries have been operating under unprecedented challenges for more than 18 months. They are playing a vital part in the successful vaccine roll out. Now they are front and centre of the NHS’s Covid recovery and I would like to express my support for them. I have been very unhappy to see the attacks they have received on social media, in particular around appointments.  One surgery has had to call for Police assistance three weeks in a row. 

I know some patients are frustrated they have not seen a GP face-to-face, and I understand that frustration. There are no easy answers in dealing with such increased demand. It is important to recognize that of the 66% of patients who want face to face appointments, 58% and rising are being seen.      

But in part what we are experiencing is change.  Alongside our GPs, a host of health and wellbeing professionals will increasingly come into play. Technology in the form of e-consult and telephone calls are here to stay and can be a very effective way to access services in many cases.

I do not think the British Medical Association’s threat of strike action is helpful. What will help is us appreciating the stress practices are under, the tremendous work they do and on a practical level, pivoting to pharmacies in the first instance, especially for the more minor ailments. 

And can I take this opportunity to thank all our key workers in Eastbourne & Willingdon who have worked tirelessly for so long now.

LATERAL FLOW TESTS - OUR NEW NORMAL
Where to pick them up and how to do the test.

Our vaccination programme is rightly a big driver in getting back to normality but so is testing and we need to make it as normal as brushing our teeth to protect our progress against the virus and community transmission. 

Recent openings will inevitably mean more cases, but free testing for those without symptoms is an important new line of defence to protect our recovery.  I now TEST regularly.  It is pretty easy and comforting to see a negative result when so many can have the virus without symptoms.  You still have to keep the usual safety measures but it feels good to step out knowing.

 Testing will help us
 Keep on the roadmap to freedom
 Stop the spread
 Protect the NHS

TESTS: Now available free to all without symptoms and you can do  at home, order online or collect locally.

You can get a pack of 7 tests sent to your home. Order rapid lateral flow home test kits on GOV.UK
If you do tests at home, you'll need to report your results online or on the phone.

The video below explains how to do the test.

Community Collect Site

 A.E. Pharma Limited, 11 Grand Hotel Buildings, Compton Street, BN21 4EJ - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 A & S Shillam Limited, 82 Seaside,  BN22 7QP - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Asda, Crumbles Harbour Village, BN23 6JH - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Boots, Princes Park Health Ctr, Wartling Road, BN22 7PG - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Day Lewis, 2 Furness Road, BN21 4EY - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Day Lewis, 10 Freshwater Square, BN22 0PS - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Osbon Medicals Limited, 116-118 Cavendish Place,  BN21 3TZ - Pick up site - for at home test kits

 Tesco Stores, Lottbridge Drove, BN23 6QD - Pick up site - for at home test kits

You can find further details 
at   https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/#/location/Eastbourne

And finally...

Friday was the 40th birthday for St Wilfred's Hospice, marking four decades of compassionate end of life care in Eastbourne and beyond.  I was delighted to attend a celebratory event for staff and volunteers in the evening.

Today I will be paying a visit to Newart Gallery in Hyde Gardens having already been, this morning, to the Macmillan Coffee Morning at The Beacon. More on all these next week.

Take good care and keep in touch,