West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas will hold a series of meetings to give people a chance to highlight their priorities for health and social care in the future.

The ‘Health & Social Care Matters’ meetings take place in the wake of the publication of ‘The Ten Year Plan’ for the NHS and ahead of Government announcements on social care, which will be made in the spring.

NHS England bosses say ‘The Ten Year Plan’ could save up to 500,000 lives by focusing on prevention.

GPs, mental health and community care will get the biggest funding increases – totalling a third of the extra £20 billion the NHS will get in 2023 - as part of the aim of curbing the current reliance on hospital services.

Mr Thomas said: “Over the next few months, these plans for the NHS and for social care will be refined following further consultation with local health groups, patients and the general public and I aim to contribute to this process by holding a number of ‘Health & Social Care Matters’ meetings on Friday evenings.

“A national plan is not enough and the next stage is for local plans to be published setting out how the NHS 10 Year Plan will be achieved and this is our opportunity to ensure the things that matter most to us are included in a local plan.

“I hope people will come along to chat through their priorities for the NHS and social care and let me know their specific concerns about different aspects of our healthcare services – for example what can we do better to prevent illness or how we can best support health care professionals.

“Good progress has already been made in West Cornwall towards meaningful integration of health and care services because of the hard work and vision of local medical professionals.

In addition to this, the plan will aim to increase the use of cutting edge equipment, digital technology and even artificial intelligence to reduce the pressure on NHS staff and improve treatment outcomes.

The meetings take place on: February 1: 5.15pm at the Godolphin Club, Helston and 8pm at St Just Age concern; February 8: 5.15pm at the Salvation Army, St Ives and 8pm at the Lugger Hotel, Penzance; February 15: 5.45pm at St Keverne Parish Church Meeting Room; March 1: 5.15pm at Mullion Methodist Chapel and 7pm at Carbis Bay Memorial Hall; March 8: 5.15pm at The Centre of Pendeen and 8pm at the Godolphin Arms, Marazion.

You can find The ‘Ten Year Plan for the NHS’ at: derekthomas.org