One of Carlisle’s parliamentary candidates called on the sitting MP to back an amendment to the King’s Speech addressing a ‘crisis’ in the NHS.

Brian Wernham, the Lib Dems’ candidate for the Carlisle constituency for the upcoming general election, said that if the current MP didn’t, it would show a ‘callous disregard for those in Carlisle stuck on an NHS waiting list’.

The King’s Speech was given last week, and set out the government’s legislative agenda for the coming year, which was scrutinised and criticised by opposition MPs.

These MPs included various Labour, SNP, and Lib Dem MPs, the latter of which requested an amendment to call for a legal right for a patient to see their GP within a week and an NHS dentist ‘rescue plan’, which Mr Wernham said comes as NHS waiting lists hit a record high of 7.8million people.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said the amendment would give a patient a legal right to see their GP within a week, and 24 hours if in urgent need.

It also calls on the government to publish a dental recovery plan as promised seven months after a rise in the number of ‘dental deserts’ leaving people struggling to see an NHS dentist when they need to.

Other measures in the amendment include ensuring the Conservative manifesto pledge of building 40 new hospitals is met, with many currently facing delays and not receiving adequate funding.

Mr Wernham added: “This Conservative government has brought our local health services to their knees.

“Every day, people in Carlisle are struggling to get a GP appointment or cannot find a dentist taking NHS patients.

“Real action on the NHS was glaringly missing from the King’s Speech.

“John Stevenson needs to back the Liberal Democrat amendment to it and ensure that local health services are put front and centre of the government’s agenda. 

“Anything less would show a callous disregard for those in Carlisle stuck on NHS waiting lists, unable to get the treatment that they deserve.”

In response, Mr Stevenson said the government has a good track record with healthcare, commenting on local developments in particular: “We’ve got a good record in Carlisle, with a new cancer unit and a new medical school coming to the University of Cumbria.”