Sadik Al-Hassan

I agree with my hon. Friend’s wise intervention. As I have said, I would go further and put in place a Minister with a responsibility for coastal communities, so great are the health inequalities. They require such a focus. The 2021 report by Chris Whitty made several recommendations, and I urge the Government to take them forward. We need a cross-Government strategy for coastal health. We must ensure there are sufficient healthcare staff in coastal areas as recruitment levels are often lower than the national average, which, as I say, I have personal experience of. Finally, we must undertake better research. Coastal communities have been chronically understudied in public health research, and that gap leads to worse inequalities. An ageing population adds to pressures on local services, from getting appointments at GP surgeries to access to Pharmacy First at community pharmacies. I welcome the hon. Member for North Norfolk raising this issue. Someone’s postcode should never dictate their health outcomes, and I will continue to champion the health of North Somerset’s coastal communities today and for the years ahead.