This month, I joined local families in celebrating the work of Upminster & Cranham Midwives for International Midwives Day. At a community event at the Golden Crane pub in Cranham, I heard about the support and continuity of care they have provided to many mums going through the challenges of parenthood during the pandemic. The midwife team are set to be redeployed elsewhere within the local health trust and I took up parents' concerns about this with its Chief Executive to make sure that decision makers are aware of the depth of support for the high-quality care that Upminster & Cranham Midwives have provided.
I have also made him and our local Clinical Commissioning Group aware of constituents’ concerns about the detection of liver disease in Havering. Our area does not currently have a commissioned pathway in place to detect liver disease and the government’s new Health and Care Act places duties on Integrated Care Boards to introduce them. I am also aware of residents' frustrations in accessing emergency care at Queen's Hospital - feedback I have shared on several occasions with local health leaders. Work is now underway to make sure that the front desk at the hospital functions much more effectively.
On policing, we got a new Borough Commander in April in Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell and I had the chance to meet him this month to talk through residents' priorities and his ambitions in tackling crime in Havering. He confirmed that officer numbers across the East Area have increased by 250 over the last four years and our neighbourhood policing teams are now at full strength. The police continue to receive a steady number of new recruits because of government funding but I continue to highlight concerns about the impact of the abstraction of officers in managing protests in central London and the need to keep Hornchurch Police Station as a base for neighbourhood policing teams.
I recently visited Sacred Heart of Mary’s School to hear from their prefect team how the pandemic impacted their learning, their resilience, and their preparation for formal exams. I also attended Jungle Tots nursery in Hornchurch to see first-hand the exciting provision and support they give to local mums. The nursery has erupted in popularity following the lifting of covid restrictions and it was fantastic to see so many mums and children using the facility.
Finally, the team and I have been thrilled by the response we have received from local school children to our 'Card for the Queen' competition to celebrate Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee. Participating schools include Benhurst, Langtons Junior, Upminster Junior and St Joseph's Primaries, and we will be inviting the winner to parliament soon.
