Health

The provision of health and medical services is primarily the responsibility of the local NHS. However, these services are under the control of central government. Hillingdon hospital has had long term problems with the quality of the care provided, partly because of the poor state of the buildings and the facilities. Labour and Conservative governments have taken far too long to recognise these problems. Underfunding of the health service under Labour is now leading to reduced services, such as the cancer centre, at Mount Vernon hospital which will require local residents to travel further out of the Hillingdon Borough for their care. Liberal Democrats are opposed to these cuts.

Liberal Democrats are also aware of a number of issues which impact local residents where the Council can be an active partner in helping people improve their lives.

Childhood obesity: 1 in 5 (20%) children in reception class in Hillingdon are measured as overweight or obese when they start school. By Year 6, 1 in 3 (33%) children is overweight or obese. 

• Liberal Democrats will work with parents, schools and other stakeholders to tackle child obesity.

Adult Obesity: 65% of adults in Hillingdon are classified as overweight or obese.

• Liberal Democrats will help tackle adult obesity by better and easy access to and promoting physical activity by improving leisure facilities and open gyms in our parks and working with local communities and other stakeholders like Sports England.

Immunisation of our children against common nut dangerous illnesses such as flu, measles mumps rubella and meningitis is below the national average and below our local authority neighbours. 

• Liberal Democrats will work in partnership with the NHS and parents to publicize the risks and work to educate parents to improve child vaccine uptake.

Dental health: A third (33%) of children aged 5 in Hillingdon have obvious dental decay. (worse than the averages for London and England). 

• Liberal Democrats will tackle dental decay in children in partnerships with schools, local dentists and parents.

Daily physical activity: In Hillingdon around 1 in 3 children and young people are not meeting the daily physical activity guidelines (worse than the estimates for London and England). 31% of adults are classed as physically inactive.

• Liberal Democrats will promote physical activity by improving leisure facilities and parks in consultation with local communities and other stakeholders like Sport England.