Action on local health

New health investment that Jeremy campaigned for has been delivered in Galashiels and Penicuik, with investment approved for a new health centre in Lauder. He has met staff and patients in Earlston and West Linton about the need to improve facilities.

Jeremy has pressed for the investment needed for Pentland House in Penicuik to be put back into Midlothian Council’s capital programme and is campaigning for better care for older people.

In Galashiels new dental facilities have been opened at the health centre which is progress in delivering better dental facilities that Jeremy has campaigned for since 2003.
Jeremy has also led local campaigns for better support for carers and for additional respite places. He has worked closely with the local voluntary sector for better funding in delivering care services for vulnerable people.

In 2007 Jeremy began his campaign for improved mental health services for young people in the Borders and Penicuik. Currently waiting times for accessing child and adolescent mental health services are too long and he has taken his local campaign to the Parliament pressing the government for action.

Jeremy has been a supporter of local volunteers who are making a difference in becoming trained lifesaver first responders.

First responders

He presented to the Penicuik first responders their certificates on the completion of their training and then again to the new intake after the early success of recruitment.

The lifesavers, as with Selkirk based Charity Scottish HART, offer support and training in using defibrilators and Jeremy is campaigning for more widespread understanding of the need for community based responses to emergencies.

Most recently the Penicuik team with support from the British Heart Foundation and Scottish Ambulance Service have helped train 15 volunteers from West Linton.

Jeremy was on hand to present the certificates to the West Linton volunteers and said during the presentation:

“Both in Penicuik and now West Linton the first responders will be called upon to help people in their own community and there is no greater commitment for volunteers wanting to make that commitment.”