WE ALL owe a debt to the people who work in our emergency services.

This was brought home to me when I spent a day with the crew of Knutsford Ambulance station. Crews work gruelling 12-hour shifts, often in difficult circumstances.

The day I went out with the ambulance crew, snow and rain made conditions treacherous. Yet, they face these challenges with good humour and professionalism.

It was inspiring and humbling to see the commitment and compassion of the crews. Knutsford is lucky to be served by such dedicated professionals.

But my time with the ambulance service also helped bring home to me how stretched the local NHS is.

The number of call outs has reached record levels across the region. All the medical staff I have talked to have stories of long queues at A&E.

The loss of critical ‘intermediate’ in-patient beds, like those that we used to have at Tatton Ward at Knutsford and District Community Hospital and at Bexton Court has pushed more people towards A&E, as has the increasing difficulty local people have in seeing their GPs quickly.

The A&E crisis we have seen over the last few months is the result of changes that have pushed the NHS to its limits.

Knutsford deserves better.

David Pinto-Duschinsky Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Tatton