Last week we learnt that just 24 per cent of the public are satisfied with the NHS, an all-time low.

The sad truth is I’m not surprised by the news.

So many of the conversations I have with people in Stretford and Urmston are about the challenges they face to get the care they need.

In the last few weeks alone, I’ve been contacted by two constituents who have waited more than five months to get scan results back for suspected cases of cancer. The NHS target is 28 days.

One of these people got lucky. The results did not show cancer.

The other person was unlucky. He has sadly been diagnosed with lung cancer and was told by his consultant that an earlier diagnosis could have improved his treatment options.

These are the stories behind the statistics. Real people facing months of unbearable anxiety because our NHS is under pressure like never before.

We know that a severe shortage of radiologists has meant that the NHS target for diagnosing or ruling out cancer within 28 days has never been met since it was introduced in 2021. This is just one part of the workforce crisis in an NHS that now has over 125,000 vacancies.

These vacancies mean the brilliant NHS staff we do have are being pushed to breaking point and waiting lists are sky high. There are now 6.3 million people in England waiting to start treatment, including more than 184,000 with our local NHS trust.

It wasn’t always like this. When Labour was last in power, waiting times were at their lowest ever level and patient satisfaction had never been higher. 14 years of Conservative Government later and the NHS is now a service that’s on its knees.

Turning this around is a huge task, but the Tories are not up to it. They are too busy fighting among themselves to be focused on what the NHS needs.

It was a Labour Government that created the NHS and if we get the chance to serve the country again, we will put it back on its feet by delivering an extra 2 million operations and appointments a year, tackling the workforce crisis, and doubling the number of NHS scanners to improve early diagnosis.

I’m so proud that my constituency is home to Trafford General, the first NHS hospital and the birthplace of one this country’s greatest achievements - a health service that’s free at the point of use and available to all. If this achievement is to have the future it deserves, then we need a change, and only Labour can deliver it.

Andrew Western is the MP for Stretford and Urmston.