I have had discussions with NHS staff in Wiltshire over the challenges that it faces. I agree with their view that there is need for a cross-party approach to NHS funding and reforms.

Such a consensus should reflect the statement made last year by NHS England, which said that £8bn a year by 2020 was the minimum investment needed to improve care and make the NHS sustainable for the future. I am delighted that Norman Lamb MP, the Liberal Democrat Health Minister, has agreed with this. He has written to his Conservative and Labour counterparts to ask for their agreement. Neither has done so.

Patients, NHS professionals and all of us in North Wiltshire deserve to know whether James Gray MP supports this consensus on securing the future of the NHS.

Currently the Liberal Democrats are the only party committing to this extra money. Political differences must be put aside if we’re going to sustain this invaluable national service.

It is also vital that a significant portion of the extra £8bn is devoted to mental health services.

We have to make mental healthcare every bit as good as physical care, and that requires more investment in the NHS.

Dr Brian Mathew, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for North Wiltshire.