No one wants to see a loved one waiting for NHS treatment or an operation in pain. That’s why the news that waiting times are finally falling at Pinderfields and Pontefract is so vital for every one of us.

We know there is a long way to go after 14 years of NHS decline but the major new Government investment and reform is a chance to start fixing the foundations of our NHS – not just to speed up treatment but to rebuild an NHS fit for future generations.

Across our towns people have talked to me for years about the nightmare they face getting GP or dentist appointments, ten hour waits in A&E, year long waits for urgent treatment and more. My local NHS survey found that 60% of respondents had difficulty getting a GP appointment. But as we all know, if you can’t get a GP appointment, then you are more likely to end up in A&E if problems get worse.

The new investment and reform plans are so badly needed. At the Budget last October, the government announced an additional £22 billion of investment in our NHS – including in more clinics, more operations, more technology and screening equipment, more doctors, more nurses, more health professionals.

GP services are getting a funding increase and an additional 1,400 GPs across the country have been recruited since October. That means more appointments and more face-to-face time with patients as part of the Government plans to bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble for appointments each morning.

Round here we particularly need dentists too. To tackle the crises in NHS dentistry, the government have announced funding for an additional 700,000 urgent dental appointments and the recruitment of dentists into areas that need them most.

New technology is needed to deliver new treatment and help speed up appointments. The NHS App has helped save 1.5 million missed hospital appointments and freed up almost 5.7 million staff hours by making it easier for people to book appointments and manage their prescriptions. The NHS is offering support in 1,400 libraries across England, helping make sure older and more vulnerable patients aren’t left behind.

There is still a long way to go and it will take time to turn things round. After years of decline, we are seeing the support and commitment to our NHS from the Government and the new investment we need. Many patients are still facing real problems but for the first time in years, the direction is clear. More GPs in surgeries. More appointments available. More patients getting the care they need, when they need it.

The NHS should always be there for us when we need it. We have just marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day – and I was so honoured to sit at the commemorations with veterans who fought in the war. That greatest generation made huge sacrifices to secure our freedom. And they also built our future – founding our NHS in the years after the war so it could care for generations to come. As we look forward to the 80th anniversary of our NHS in a few years time, the Labour Government is determined to fix the foundations, and make sure it will be there for our children and grandchildren too.