It was a pleasure to return to Haywards Heath College and meet with first year A level students to discuss my role as a Member of Parliament and what inspired me to go into politics. Getting our young people interested in the workings of our democracy is a vital part of my work as an MP and I enjoyed taking questions on my national campaigns as well as the work I do locally. As expected, the thoughtful and wide-ranging questions from students helped dispel any myths about political apathy among the young.
Good luck to all students who are either revising or taking key exams, I wish you all the best of luck.
I had a lovely visit to the Yews Lunch Club to chat to members and understand the issues that are faced by those suffering from sight loss. One main issue raised was access to low vision services and I used the visit as an opportunity to relay an update from the Chief Executive of NHS Sussex on this. My dad lost his sight due to a head injury and I know the great impact on the individual and their family, so I appreciate these services are key. I am taking this up alongside issues with Modality and GP access in these linked surgeries. I will share more on this after my meeting with Modality and NHS Sussex later this week.
Last week was World Immunisation Week, data published by the UK Health Security Agency shows that uptake of the adolescent vaccines offered to 13- and 14-year-olds who were in school year 9 during the 2021 to 2022 academic year has fallen, leaving many young people unprotected from life-threatening diseases. If your child is in year 9,10 or 11 and has not any vaccinations including the teenage (Td/IPV) booster or the MenACWY vaccine, you don’t need to wait to be contacted, speak to your school nurse, school immunisation team or GP surgery to book an appointment to ensure that they are fully vaccinated and have the best protection. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/young-people-at-risk-of-disease-as-concerning-numbers-miss-out-on-life-saving-vaccines