Plan for Change in Sandwell: NHS Fit For The Future
Sandwell deserves an NHS and care system that works for everyone in Oldbury, Smethwick, West Bromwich, Tipton, Wednesbury and Rowley Regis. Ahead of the 7 May 2026 local elections, here is how Sandwell Labour is delivering now and how Labour nationally will fix the NHS for the future.
Local Delivery You Can See
– Occupational Health waits cut from 20 weeks to 4 weeks so our workforce stays healthy and services keep running. The council’s transformation work has been recognised by national peers as raising standards across services (Source: Local Government Association).
– Free community alarm service for vulnerable residents to keep people safe at home and reduce avoidable hospital admissions. Sandwell’s Living Well and community safety services promote independence and rapid help when needed (Source: sandwell.gov.uk).
– Adult social care delivered across all six towns with a focus on independence, prevention and rapid response to avoid unnecessary hospital stays. Sandwell’s reablement and community support are backed by cabinet-approved plans to improve outcomes and value (Source: sandwell.gov.uk news).
We will keep improving core services, working with the NHS and voluntary groups so residents get the right help at the right time in every town.
Fixing The NHS Nationally
Labour’s national Plan for Change will get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future:
- £29 billion NHS boost
- 250,000 cut from the waiting list
- 4.2 million extra appointments
- 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres
- Three big shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, from sickness to prevention
- Mental health support in every school
- Dentistry rescue plan
Read the full plan here and see how it will help patients in Sandwell get faster care closer to home (Source: Building an NHS fit for the future).
What This Means For Sandwell
- Faster GP and outpatient appointments and more evening and weekend slots so families in Oldbury, Smethwick, West Bromwich, Tipton, Wednesbury and Rowley Regis get seen sooner
- Neighbourhood Health Centres bringing together GPs, diagnostics, physio, mental health and social care teams under one roof so fewer people need to go to hospital for basic tests
- Digital upgrades and modern scanners to cut delays and speed up results for cancer and cardiac patients at local hospital sites serving the Black Country
- Prevention first, with community programmes on smoking cessation, healthy weight and blood pressure checks linked to local pharmacies and council services
- A real mental health offer for children and young people with support in every school, backed by local teams and quicker referrals when specialist care is needed
- A dentistry rescue so people in Sandwell can get NHS check-ups again and avoid painful waits or costly private care
Local reporting shows why change is needed. Residents across the Black Country have faced long waits to see a dentist and rising pressure in A&E, which is why Labour’s neighbourhood care and dentistry plans matter for our communities (Source: Express & Star).
A Clear Choice On 7 May 2026
Reform want to privatise the NHS and move to an insurance-based system. Their leader has publicly backed paying for healthcare, a model that would leave families in Sandwell paying more for less care when they need it most.
Labour will never put profit before patients. We will get the NHS back on track with investment, reform and neighbourhood care so people are treated faster and closer to home.
Back Sandwell Labour’s Plan For Change
- Keep cutting local waits and protecting vital support like meals on wheels and community alarms
- Build neighbourhood care across Oldbury, Smethwick, West Bromwich, Tipton, Wednesbury and Rowley Regis
- Deliver the national plan so people get timely care and fewer end up in hospital
Read Labour’s national Plan for Change and share it with friends and family (Source: Labour Plan For Change).