This is what Sir Keir Starmer said about the NHS and eye tests for older drivers during a visit to Lancashire

He was at Rawtenstall’s Rossendale Primary Health Care Centre on Monday morning to announce the first freeze of prescription charges in England for three years.

Sir Keir was tackled by the Local Democracy Reporting Service during the visit on the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s (ELHT) £26m overspend, which had led to a recruitment freeze leaving it unable to promise nursing students jobs after completing their studies, including 2,300 hours of unpaid training placements at its sites.

He also promised a review of eyesight tests for older drivers following Lancashire Coroner James Adeley calling for action after a joint inquest into four deaths in separate incidents where the victims were struck by motorists who carried on driving despite serious vision impairments, which meant they should never have been on the road.

On the issue of the ELHT £26m cash black hole Sir Keir said: “We have put a record investment into the NHS at the budget. Reform and change is already coming.

“This diagnostic centre is showing that we can increase productivity and provide a better service. The staff here are very proud of what they are doing and I say a big thank-you to them.

“I think we can go further and faster. Today we’re putting out the figures for the NHS App, a piece of technology that allows people to manage their appointments, to get their NHS data and to do repeat prescriptions.

“And that has saved 5,000 hours of NHS time - and then we have got one and a half million more appointments than we otherwise would have had.

“So we’re driving this hard. We need to, because I want everybody in East Lancashire to have the best possible care through an NHS that’s fit for purpose.”

Asked if East Lancashire was a health ‘backwater’, the Prime Minster said: “No. Not at all.”

On the issue of bringing in mandatory regular eyesight tests for older drivers after the four driver vision-related deaths - of Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75, - the Prime Minister said: “Firstly, can I just extend my thoughts to the families of those involved in those awful incidents.

“We will look and review. We don’t have a fixed view that says we will never look again at this.

“So we will take it away and have a look at what more can be done in terms of safety but these are tragic cases and I think that they deserve a government that looks again at if there is anything more we can do on road safety.”

Announcing the freeze on NHS prescription charge at at £9.90 per item for 2025/26 while three-month and annual pre-payment certificates will also be pegged, Sir Keir said: “Today we are freezing prescription charges so that means they won’t go over £10 and that is really significant, because very many people have to pay for prescriptions.

“There’s a sort of cost-of-living crisis that is still very challenging for people, so this is an important measure in that.”

But he refused to be drawn on whether the government would implement the recommendations of the NHS and teachers pay review bodies, saying: “We are going to have to look at the recommendations in the round and respond accordingly.”

Sir Keir was greeted at the health centre by a small protest over the government’s position on the Gaza conflict.