The parliamentary summer recess is finally here after one of the busiest and most exciting periods in my time representing the people of Dudley South. It is now time to catch our breath before the real work begins in the autumn – implementing the referendum result and leaving the European Union, which is what the majority of my constituents and I want.

Aside from Brexit, a more localised issue that has been drawing my attention lately is the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report into Russells Hall Hospital. As many of my readers will know, the CQC made an informal inspection of the hospital last March, which stressed that Russells Hall requires improvement.

This came just a few months after a routine inspection that found Russell Hall was failing to provide an adequate service to A&E patients. Needless to say, I am very concerned by these developments and I know my colleagues in the Dudley Borough share these concerns. We have not seen the desired improvements over the last few months and have therefore been forced to become more involved in the process of rectifying the situation.

The current state of affairs cannot continue because my constituents deserve the highest quality of care each and every time they visit Russells Hall, especially from the A&E department. Over the last few months I have met with the Trust’s board twice and recently spoke to the head of the CQC and NHS Improvement (NHSI) about what work is being carried out to ensure the Trust significantly ups its game. I will continue to fight for the interests of local people in getting Russells Hall back up to the standards we expect from our excellent National Health Service.

In the summer recess I will be out and about in Dudley South over the next month on my annual Summer Tour of the constituency. Please look out for when I will be visiting your area and stop by for a chat!

I will be at Westfield Sports Cars Ltd in Kingswinford on Friday supporting their Engineering Open House Day event. Visitors will be able to experience the world of engineering first-hand and get an excellent insight into the many exciting opportunities open in this field.

I am in the process of planning another tour of Parliament for constituents on Thursday 6th September. Tickets will cost £20 per person purely to cover the cost of the coach hire from Dudley South to Westminster and back. If you would like to book your place on the trip or receive some more information, please call 01384 913 123 or email mike.wood.mp@parliament.uk.