Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP has made his first-ever input at Prime Minister’s Questions to demands urgent action over mental health failures.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Tom Gordon MP exposed the scale of local beds at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust with patients from Harrogate and Knaresborough being sent as far away as York, Middlesbrough, or even hundreds of miles to Glasgow and Southampton.

The Lib Dem MP spoke out in Parliament after hearing growing numbers of distressing accounts from local people failed by the trust, including families who have tragically lost loved ones while under its care.

He branded the situation “completely unacceptable” and warned of the impact on vulnerable people and their families.

Harrogate Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon spoke out in Parliament after hearing growing numbers of distressing accounts from local people failed by the NHS, including families who have tragically lost loved ones while under its care. (Picture contributed)

placeholder image — Harrogate Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon spoke out in Parliament after hearing growing numbers of distressing accounts from local people failed by the NHS, including families who have tragically lost loved ones while under its care. (Picture contributed)

Tom told the Prime Minister that this isn’t just a service under strain, it’s a service that’s fundamentally broken.

While he welcomed the Prime Minister’s openness to an inquiry, he warned that families cannot afford to wait months or years for change.

He urged the Government and the Health Secretary to take immediate steps to stop further harm and start rebuilding public confidence in mental health services in the region.

“No one should be sent hundreds of miles from home in the middle of a mental health crisis,” said Mr Gordon, “but that’s the reality for too many in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

"This isn’t just a service under pressure; it’s one that’s fundamentally broken. TEWV has been letting families down for far too long, and the Government must step in now to stop further harm.

"An inquiry may come, but families can’t wait.

"They need action now, and I’ll keep fighting alongside MPs from all parties to make sure they get it.”

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP added that these “heartbreaking stories” were not isolated.

MPs across the North East and North Yorkshire had raised similar concerns, he said, all of which points to a “dangerous crisis” in how the TEWV trust is run.

He said was committed to keeping up the pressure, working with MPs across all parties to secure justice and to protect others from suffering as similar fate.