Sir Rod Stewart has been pictured visiting the NHS hospital where he personally paid for patients to have scans - after calling for the Tory party to stand down over the health care crisis.
The 78-year-old rocker delighted staff as arrived in a white Rolls-Royce and took the time to chat and pose for selfies during his visit, and revealed his hope more people will follow his lead after proving he's "not all mouth and no trousers"
Speaking about his pledge today, Rod admitted he plans to donate more money to hospitals in need across Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester "and just keep it going".
Wearing a cream roll-neck jumper, knee-length coat, black trousers and dark blue trainers, he shook hands with a series of NHS staff outside a mobile MRI scanning unit and posed for photographs.
He joked "let’s all have a sing-song" and signed his autograph for a fan, before speaking to reporters and opening up about why he decided to make a donation.
The legendary singer's charitable act and visit to the hospital follows the dad-of-eight surprising fans last month, as he tore into the Government over the state of the NHS during a Sky News phone-in.
The Maggie May was an unexpected caller to the broadcaster on January 26, where he offered to pay for scans for people stuck on waiting lists.
Rod has since followed through on his promise and today met the people who have benefited from his generous donations - posing for pictures with nurses before heading inside the hospital.
One of the many patients Rod posed with today was 36-year-old Mr Ryan, who had travelled from London for a routine left knee scan.
As they took a picture together, Rod said: "So this is my first customer!
"All good pal? You take care of yourself, stay healthy, alright mate."
To laughter from the gathered crowd, he added: "And I have a new CD coming out in five weeks!"
Mr Ryan said afterwards: "It was a dream come true."
Explaining how he came to pay for a day of scans at his local hospital, Sir Rod said: "I had just come from my scan in a private clinic near Harley Street.
"I walked in and said, ‘I’m terribly sorry I’m half hour late’. They said, ‘don’t worry, there’s hardly anybody in here today’.
"There were eight people with hardly anything to do. Then I thought this is a terrible injustice, so here we are."
The Maggie May singer had previously been a lifelong fan of the Conservative Party prior to his comments last month, but now says it's time to give the Labour Party a chance to run the country and sort out the crisis facing the NHS.
The musician met patients and medics at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex today, as he called in to meet patients who have benefitted from his act of generosity.
Rod took the time to chat and pose for snaps with those present at the hospital during his visit, including Omarie Ryan, who received an MRI scan on his left knee.
Speaking to Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee today, he said: "There must be enough money in the coffers to pay up for these nurses.
"Only two years ago we were clapping and now listen - they worked so hard."
He went on to warn: "If we don't have the NHS, it will be like the United States.
"When you go into an emergency, they say, 'right, go through your documents' and it's unbelievable in America.
"It doesn't work there either, but I think it's working better than [it] is here at the moment - we must pull it together."
Rod went on to explain why he decided to visit the hospital after the donation - admitting he wanted to prove he had followed through on last month's promise and show "I am not all mouth and no trousers".
The rocker added: "If this is a big success, and I think it will be, I'd like to do it in Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and just keep it going."
Pressed on the state of the NHS, the pop star said: “We’ve got to sort this out, really. We’re in dire straits.
"If I am going to get political, I think we should send the Ukrainians F-16s. It’s up to you, Prime Minister.
"I’ve been supporting them for years, Ukrainians. On stage I have the flag and I wear a blue and yellow suit and do a song and dedicate it to them.
"I feel very strongly about it. If the Ukrainians lose it’s the end of civilisation as we know it, it’s all over."
Speaking on Sky News last month, Rod said: "I personally have been a Tory for a long time, but I think this Government should stand down now and give the Labour Party a go at it because this is heartbreaking for the nurses, it really is heartbreaking.
"In all my years of living in this country I’ve never seen it so bad and anything I can do to help. Go on, the nurses. I’m on your side."
From 2001-2010, when Labour were in power, the proportion of people in Great Britain surveyed reporting satisfaction with the NHS generally increased to a peak of 70%.
By March 2022, almost 12 years into the current Tory regin in 10 Downing Street, satisfaction had fallen to 36% and the NHS is now in crisis, thanks to a lack of funding and the government failing to negotiate with workers and prevent strikes.
Sir Rod, who said he was able to pay for his family to get private healthcare, went on to say the NHS needed to be rebuilt with "billions and billions" of pounds.
"This is a bad time," he said. "Change the bloody Government."
Rod continued to declare it was "ridiculous" that so many people were waiting for care and described how he visited a private clinic yesterday for his yearly scan where they only had "a couple of customers".
"I would like to pay for 10 or 20 scans. I don't know how we're going to work this but hopefully some other people will follow," the charitable singer promised.
"It seems ridiculous that this particular scanning clinic was empty and there are people dying because they cannot get scans.
"Now listen to me, I don't need the publicity, I just want to do some good things and this, I think is a good thing. If other people follow me, I'd love it."
He said he had been listening to sad stories from callers on Sky News while he was working on his model railway.
He added: "I'm so proud to be British and I can't stand it being this way."
The emotional phone-in in January also heard one caller ring in to say she had been on a waiting list for an appointment for three years.
"I'm losing the will to live," she told Sky News' Sarah-Jane Mee, adding: "I don't know what to do, and what worries me is that the situation for me and others could get worse."
Another caller named Victoria told how her father died earlier that month after picking up COVID and pneumonia in hospital. He had been waiting five months to be discharged.
Shortly before the Sky News phone-in, the House of Lords’ Public Services Committee said the government should set up a COBR committee to address the crisis in emergency healthcare after launching an inquiry.
Committee chair Baroness Armstrong said NHS pressures were not new but the committee could not have envisaged the severity of the current crisis when it launched its inquiry.
"The problems have been widely discussed, and it is time for solutions," she said. "The models for community and primary care are broken, and a new approach is needed. Our recommendations are for both the immediate, and the longer term and are more relevant than ever."
"In the first instance we have called on the government to treat this crisis with the urgency it deserves and address it as a national emergency," she added.
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