Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero column: Ashfield people deserve doctor’s appointment within 48 hours.

I’ve had unhappy constituents getting in touch with me to make this exact point, after all, when you are ill or your little one is coming down with a temperature you just want to get it sorted.

If people need that reassurance and can’t get an appointment, they sometimes turn up at King’s Mill which puts pressure on A&E services.

I’m calling on the Government to guarantee that people in Ashfield get a GP appointment within 48 hours and for those patients who feel their problem requires immediate attention, there should be at least a phone call with a nurse or doctor and if it’s urgent, a face to face appointment on the same day.

All politics is local and some of you have been in touch to ask me to get on to the council to sort a couple of dodgy street lights out.

The first case I dealt with took ages but bosses seem to be getting better and have quickly promised to fix the lights on Mayfield Street in Kirkby.

Please do let me know if they don’t stick to their promise and if anyone else has a similar problem then get in touch. It’s my job to nag and get things done.

Finally, when people come to see me at my regular advice surgeries they are often at the end of their tether with nowhere else to turn - they can be really heartbreaking sometimes. Last week at my surgery I got a lovely surprise when a couple of residents from Sherwood House Flats turned up with a bottle of bubbly to say thank you for helping them with their fight to stay in their homes.

Barry and Alan, the pleasure really was all mine. It’s delivering for people that makes this job worthwhile. It’s the only reason I wanted to be an MP.

I’ll be raising a glass to everyone in the flats this weekend – here’s to many more years of happiness in your own home!