A regional daily has taken its campaign into the state of the National Health Service on its patch to 10 Downing Street.

Stoke-on-Trent daily The Sentinel launched its NHS SOS campaign, which has shone a light on the inner workings of its local NHS services, earlier this year.

The campaign, which has highlighted both the good and bad aspects of the NHS, was prompted by the huge queues and lengthy waiting times at the Royal Stoke University Hospital during the winter months.

On Thursday, Sentinel journalists took a dossier of articles which highlighted the problems with NHS services locally, as well as its successes, to Downing Street, where it was presented to the government.

Sentinel chief feature writer Richard Ault

The dossier included a letter, written by Sentinel editor Martin Tideswell and addressed to new Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Wrote Martin: “Stoke-on-Trent MPs Gareth Snell and Ruth Smeeth were kind enough, recently, to raise a question in the House which referenced our campaign and called for your predecessor Jeremy Hunt to meet with myself and senior local health care chiefs. Sadly, Jeremy Hunt did not wish to meet us and so I am writing to you.

“We are planning to meet with representatives of the University Hospitals of North Midlands, local GPs and pharmacies soon to see how we – the largest media in Staffordshire and one which the Prime Minister herself visited recently – can help them to ease the burdens on the NHS here in the Potteries.”