Covid-19: PPE Procurement
(Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
(SNP)
1. What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the
steps taken by his Department to secure value for money in
procuring PPE during the covid-19 outbreak.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We procured personal protective equipment at pace so that we
could protect the frontline and save lives. In a highly distorted
market, we worked around the clock to secure the life-saving PPE
that we needed.
The Secretary of State will be aware of the high-profile reports
in the media regarding and her connection with PPE
Medpro, contact with Government Ministers and the use of a VIP
lane in relation to the procurement of PPE. Will he assure me—and
more importantly the public—that a full and thorough
investigation will take place into these matters and that,
following that investigation, the report will be made public?
I can do much better than that. We have commissioned a full
investigation and inquiry into the Government’s handling of covid
and, as part of that, I am sure that the inquiry will look at
PPE. But it is important to put it into context. We secured 23.2
billion items of PPE, which was a huge step, done at pace, to
help protect our frontline.
Mr Speaker
We come to the SNP spokesperson.
(Coatbridge, Chryston and
Bellshill) (SNP)
There are concerns that officials and high-ranking associates
have reaped the financial benefits of a deadly disease,
shamelessly profiteering on public funds. The SNP has long sought
to highlight the Government’s rampant cronyism and corruption,
and this PPE plundering is the most egregious case that we have
seen so far. In Scotland, the Scottish Government have robust
procedures in place to ensure protection of procurement in
healthcare. How will the Secretary of State better regulate the
cronyism of his colleagues? Will he commit now to scrapping the
UK Government’s VIP lane for healthcare contracts?
Again, that ignores both the pressure of time at the start of the
pandemic and the fact that there was international competition,
with companies competing for scarce resources. It is also the
case that although more than 19,000 companies were offering PPE,
only 2,600 passed initial due diligence checks.
Hospital Bed Capacity
(Warrington South) (Con)
2. What steps his Department is taking to increase hospital bed
capacity.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
To support operational resilience, the NHS has set out plans to
increase hospital bed capacity by the equivalent of at least
7,000 general and acute beds during the winter. That is alongside
£500 million of funding to support quick, safe discharge from
hospital and free up capacity, and £1.5 billion of targeted
investment funding for new surgical hubs, increasing bed capacity
and equipment for elective care recovery.
I am grateful for the Minister’s response. Over the last 20
years, Warrington has had among the highest level of new houses
built in the north-west of England, but our healthcare
infrastructure has not kept pace. We desperately need a new
hospital. Our accident and emergency is at breaking point, we do
not have enough beds and there is nowhere for those visiting to
park their cars. In 2021, my NHS trust submitted a bid to the
Department of Health and Social Care for a new hospital. Will he
update us on where we are with that process?
I thank my hon. Friend, who has been a long-standing advocate for
a new general hospital for Warrington. The expression of interest
from the trust has been received. We are currently in the process
of reviewing expressions of interest for the eight new hospitals
and aim to announce a final decision by the end of the year. I
recently met him to hear about the plans, and the people of
Warrington could not have a greater champion than him.
(Halton) (Lab)
May I associate myself with the remarks of the hon. Member for
Warrington South () about the need for investment
in Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust? It is important
that both hospitals have that investment. Part of the capacity
problem is the lack of social care capacity in the community,
whether in a home or in patients’ own homes. Just recently, I had
an email from the chief executive of Whiston Hospital, a large
acute hospital, where 115 patients were in beds when they did not
need to be—they should have been going out of the hospital—out of
a total of 721 adult acute beds. Is that not an example of where
the Government are failing to provide enough social care out in
the community?
We are investing £500 million to create another 200,000 social
care placements, but we have significantly increased the number
of physical beds available in our hospitals. In July, before we
made the commitment to increase bed capacity, we had 96,375
general and acute beds; in October, we had 97,350. We are also
delivering that increased capacity outside of hospital through
this winter by creating an extra 2,500 virtual ward beds.
(Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
(Con)
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is high time the outstanding
care and skill of Hillingdon Hospital staff was matched by
commensurate outstanding facilities, and that it is therefore
great news that Hillingdon is one of the 40 new hospitals that
the Government are building by 2030? Can he confirm that the full
funding package will be announced soon, so the whole project can
proceed as soon as possible?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. The Secretary of
State visited Hillingdon Hospital—a hospital I am also aware
of—over the summer. There has been no greater champion of
Hillingdon Hospital, or of the new hospitals programme more
broadly, than my right hon. Friend. Currently, five hospital
schemes are in construction, two are now completed and we aim to
announce the next eight by the end of this year.
(Rotherham) (Lab)
Two weeks ago, a 5-year-old constituent of mine, Yusuf Nazir,
died because we no longer have intensive paediatric beds in
Rotherham. September saw record-breaking ambulance handover
delays and the proportion of patients waiting more than 12 hours
in accident and emergency rose to 13.8%, nearly double last
September’s figure. In the last 12 years, Rotherham’s NHS has
been hollowed out. What is the Minister going to do to reverse
that?
First, let me thank the hon. Lady for her question. I am very
sorry to hear about the case she highlights. I understand she has
written to the Secretary of State on this issue.
Ambulance waiting times are not where we want them to be. We have
increased ambulance staff by 40% since 2010. We have invested,
with just under 5,000 more staff in NHS 111; 2,500 more staff in
call centres; an extra £450 million last year into A&E
departments; the creation of the £500 million discharge fund,
which will improve flow through hospitals; and 7,000 extra beds
this winter. We understand the system is under considerable
pressure. I would be very happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss
the challenges in her own trust.
(Tooting) (Lab)
The current state of mental health treatment sees increasing
numbers of people languishing on waiting lists becoming more and
more unwell, 1.1 million adults denied treatment, and children
stuck in emergency departments for days waiting for mental health
beds. Are the Government proud that a systemic cutting of a
quarter of NHS mental health beds over the last 12 years has led
to more patients receiving treatment in private settings? Does
the Secretary of State know how much money is given to private
mental health providers? Do the Government honestly think they
are getting good value for money?
This is not my direct area of responsibility, but of course
mental health does present challenges for A&Es and for
hospitals more generally. We are investing an extra £2.3 billion
every year in mental health, we have 16% more staff and we have
an additional bursary to attract more nurses into mental health.
But we do recognise the challenges, and the Under-Secretary of
State for Health and Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for
Lewes () is working hard to address
them.
Neurological Diagnosis and Treatment: Waiting Times
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
3. What recent steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting
times for neurological diagnosis and treatment.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
Reducing waiting times for diagnostics and treatment is a
priority for this Government. The delivery plan for tackling the
elective backlog sets out steps to recover and transform
out-patient services across all specialisms, including neurology.
In March 2021, my constituent suffered a severe head injury. By
the time they have their first neurology appointment in January
2023, they will have waited nearly two years for treatment. In
the meantime, they have been unable to work, been rejected for
disability benefits and are in severe pain. Does the Minister
accept that this wait is unacceptable, and will she outline what
support the Department is making available for those who are
suffering while they wait for vital appointments?
I thank the hon. Lady. I know she raised her constituent’s case
in a Westminster Hall debate on 22 November and my understanding
is that they now have an appointment for January, but there is
absolutely a backlog from covid patients. We know that. That is
why we are putting in over £8 billion in the next three years to
deal with that backlog. That is in addition to the £2 billion we
have already provided through the elective recovery fund. We have
already virtually eliminated the two-year wait and we are now on
track, by April, to eliminate waits of 18 months or more.
Social Care Workforce
(Northampton South) (Con)
4. What steps his Department is taking to increase the size of
the social care workforce.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
I thank all those who work in social care for what they do day
in, day out for people whose lives depend on care. We are
supporting care homes and agencies in their efforts to recruit
staff, including with a substantial national recruitment
campaign. In fact, colleagues may have seen some of the adverts
while watching popular programmes such as “I’m a Celebrity”. We
have also added social care workers to the shortage occupation
list, so that social care can benefit from international
recruitment to increase the workforce in the short term.
A recent report from the Motor Neurone Disease Association,
outlined at the all-party group on motor neurone disease, which I
chair, found that most unpaid MND carers provide more than 75
hours of care a week, but many are unable to access respite
services due to the lack of adequately skilled care workers
equipped to care for the complexity of MND sufferers’ needs. Will
the Minister commit to increasing specialised training for
conditions such as MND in the social care workforce to protect
carers’ health and wellbeing?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. I, too, have heard from
family carers about the difficulties that they have faced in
getting skilled professional help, which, in turn, gives them
support and respite. At the moment, we provide £11 million
annually for a workforce development fund, which social care
employers can access to help to pay for staff training. Looking
ahead, we are working on social care workforce reforms, of which
training and skills will form a substantial part. I commit to
looking into his suggestion that specialist training for MND care
should be part of that.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
In the lakes, we have a problem with social care: although the
people working in the care industry are phenomenal, talented and
dedicated, the average age of the population is 10 years above
the national average, so the number of people who need to be
cared for is greater and the size of the workforce is smaller.
Undoubtedly, poor pay, poor conditions and a lack of career
prospects are a major problem in recruiting and retaining the
care staff that we need. We also have a special problem in our
area because of the absence, or indeed, the evaporation, of the
long-term private rented sector, which is where the carers
normally would have lived. Will the Minister talk to her
colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities to make sure that we have a comprehensive package for
communities such as mine in Cumbria, so that we have well-paid
carers and places in which they can afford to live?
The hon. Member makes a really important point. I will say two
things. In the short term, we are supporting social care with
£500 million through the discharge fund this winter. That will go
into increasing capacity in social care and addressing some
workforce challenges in areas such as his. In the long term, we
are introducing social care reforms, including in the workforce.
One thing we need to look at is ensuring that housing is
available for the social care workforce.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
I have listened to the Minister talk about increased social care,
but I do not recognise that in my area. Northampton General
Hospital, which is one of the hospitals that serves my
constituency, has around 150 patients who could medically be
discharged but cannot be. That accounts for 19% of the beds. At
the same time, West Northamptonshire Council is closing
Spinneyfields, a 51-bed step-down facility in my constituency,
yet it has a private finance initiative contract and, for the
next seven years, will pay £700,000 for an empty building. How
can that be right? Will the Minister sort it out?
I will take away that example from my hon. Friend’s constituency
and look into it. I want to see increased capacity in step-down
care and social care during this winter and beyond, but
particularly during this winter, supported by the £500 million
discharge fund. That will go to areas such as his and across the
country to help to make sure that people who do not need to be in
hospital can be out of it getting the care that they need.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
When will the new Health team wake up to the fact that many of
the things that we have discussed this morning—but particularly
social care—will be solved only by treating local authorities as
friends, allies and partners, rather than the enemy? Please can
we have action to make local authorities full partners in
delivering every sort of care?
After hearing the hon. Member’s point, I should think that he
therefore welcomes the fact that we have set up integrated care
systems, which bring together health and social care. The £500
million discharge fund that I have mentioned is allocated to
local areas to be pooled into the better care fund and spent
jointly between local authorities and the NHS. Funding is an
important part of this. In the autumn statement, social care
received a historic funding settlement of £7.5 billion over the
next two years. That is important, as well as ensuring that the
NHS and local authorities work together hand in hand.
10-Year Cancer Plan
(Strangford) (DUP)
5. When his Department will publish the 10-year cancer plan.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
Earlier this year, we held a successful call for evidence on a
new cancer plan, which received 5,000 responses. We are now
considering those responses and how we can best support the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. I will be in a
position to update the House shortly.
I thank the Minister for her response, but it has been five
months since July, when the 10-year cancer plan was due to be
published, and 10 months since February, when the war on cancer
was announced. While the Government have delayed, cancer patients
have faced unacceptable waiting times for diagnosis and
treatment. Performance over the past five months has been the
worst on record against the target of a 62-day wait between the
GP referral for suspected cancer and the first treatment. I ask
the Minister respectfully: does she agree that we in this House
and the people of this country now need a long-term, ambitious
plan to reduce waits and ensure that cancer patients in this
country have the best outcomes possible? Will she set out a
timeline—not just say “shortly”—for delivering such a plan?
As the hon. Gentleman knows, I cannot comment on what is
happening in Northern Ireland, because health is a devolved
matter. I can only update him on what is happening in England. We
are not waiting for a cancer plan to start on the backlogs: that
is why this Government are investing £8 billion over three years
to clear the elective backlog. We are seeing record numbers of
patients. Cancer treatments continued throughout the pandemic,
but we are seeing a higher number coming through than usual.
Despite the increase of more than 129% in patients getting urgent
GP referrals since September 2019, 91% of patients in England are
receiving their treatment within 31 days of the decision to
treat, compared with just 87% of patients in Northern Ireland in
June. We are very committed to reducing cancer waiting times. I
suggest that the hon. Gentleman may wish to speak to the Minister
in Northern Ireland as well.
(Erewash) (Con)
Diagnostic activity, whether in vivo or in vitro, forms part of
more than 85% of clinical pathways. Will my hon. Friend confirm
that it will receive due recognition in the 10-year cancer
strategy?
May I thank my hon. Friend for all her hard work during her time
as a Health Minister? We are going through the responses to the
call for evidence right now; as I have indicated, we will update
the House shortly. I will very much take her points on board.
Dame (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)
My constituent Jesse, who is 24, was diagnosed with grade 4
glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer. It has been
devastating to her. She has had a very difficult year of
treatment; crucially, after her initial round of treatment, there
were delays in accessing a scan because of the backlogs in the
NHS. There is a real need for a proper cancer care plan to make
sure that she gets her scans as regularly as necessary. Other
patients need them as well, but her scan was two months later
than it should have been under the standard of care, leaving her
in absolute terror that her cancer would come back. The fear is
almost as bad as the disease itself. What plans does the Minister
have to make sure that the 10-year cancer plan really gets to
grips to the backlog, which is devastating people’s lives?
I am sorry to hear about the experience of the hon. Lady’s
constituent. I am sure that she will welcome the 91 community
diagnostic centres that have already been set up to provide a
range of tests, including CTs, ultrasounds and MRIs. We are
expecting to deliver up to 160 community diagnostic centres in
total, with the capacity for up to 9 million more scans per year
when they are fully operational. That will not just deal with the
backlog, but future-proof our diagnostic services.
Dame (Gosport) (Con)
The Minister will know that cancer is the biggest cause of death
in children under 14. There are countless instances of failure
and missed opportunity in how we detect it, how we treat it and
how we care for children with cancer. I am grateful to her for
meeting my constituent Charlotte Fairall earlier this year, who
tragically lost her daughter Sophie. Does the Minister agree that
we need a childhood cancer mission embedded in the heart of any
cancer strategy if we are serious about saving other families
from that tragedy?
I thank my hon. Friend for all her hard work in this space and
for leading our debate on childhood cancer outcomes in this
Chamber. I was delighted to meet her constituent Charlotte, who
is campaigning so hard on the issue. I promised her that we would
look at a child cancer mission; we will update the House on our
progress shortly.
GP Recruitment
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
6. What progress his Department has made on its commitment to
recruit 6,000 additional GPs by 2024.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
In September 2022 there were nearly 2,300 more full-time
equivalent doctors in general practice than there were at the
same time in 2019, and more than 9,000 GP trainees.
A constituent of mine, a full-time GP in her 50s, told me that
the pension rules mean she has to retire, work part-time or
emigrate, which is hardly likely to help her patients to obtain
appointments with her. Having hinted at a change in doctors’
pension rules last summer, the Government are only now announcing
a consultation that will last until next spring, so there will be
no change in these crazy rules until next summer at the earliest.
Is this not too little, too late?
It is worth reminding the House that there are 3% more doctors
this year than last year. As I have said, we have 2,300 more
full-time GPs, and we are recruiting more. However, the hon. Lady
is absolutely right about doctors’ pensions; that is a material
issue, which is why we launched the consultation, and we are
working with Treasury colleagues to address these concerns as
quickly as possible.
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
GP numbers are falling in Wales. Healthcare is devolved to the
Welsh Labour Government, and although Ynys Môn is represented by
five members of the Senedd in Cardiff, healthcare concerns
constitute a staggering 25% of my postbag. Does the Secretary of
State agree that families throughout Wales are not receiving the
healthcare that they need and deserve from the Welsh Labour
Government?
I do agree with my hon. Friend, and I think it would help the
House to assess the performance of the Welsh Government if there
were more transparency. For instance, the Opposition motion on
today’s Order Paper refers to vacancies in England. I am sure it
will surprise the House to learn that the Welsh Government
stopped collecting statistics for workforce vacancies in 2011. I
look forward to Opposition Members’ encouraging their Welsh
colleagues to be more transparent.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Enfield North) (Lab)
Members on both sides of the House will have been shocked and
appalled by the recent deaths of children from streptococcus A,
and our thoughts are with all the families affected. Cases are on
the rise, and as we head into winter it is vital for parents to
be able to secure for their children the care that they so
desperately need. The shortage of GPs means that too many are
struggling to see a doctor, and now there are reports of
shortages of antibiotics as well. What advice can the Secretary
of State give parents whose children are exhibiting symptoms but
who cannot obtain a GP appointment, and what assurances can he
give on the supply and availability of antibiotics?
This is an important issue which I know is of concern to many
families throughout the country, so I am pleased to be able to
reassure the House about our response. While GPs are important in
this regard, so are directors of public health, who are leading
the response in respect of, for example, liaison with schools. We
are seeing a peak in cases earlier than usual, which we believe
is due to lower exposure during the pandemic, which in turn has
led to lower immunity. There is no new strain, and that is one of
the key points of reassurance, but the UK Health Security Agency
has declared a national standard to improve the co-ordination of
our response, including what is being done in schools.
Hospitals: New Builds and Upgrades
(Carshalton and Wallington)
(Con)
7. What steps he is taking to upgrade existing hospitals and
build new hospitals.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
As we heard earlier, the Government are committed to a programme
to create 40 new hospitals by 2030. We have committed £3.7
billion—[Interruption.] The hon. Member for Ilford North () will get a go in a moment, and I look forward to
hearing him welcome the increase in the Government’s capital
spending, not just on our new hospitals programme but on, for
instance, elective surgery. We are putting £5.6 billion into more
surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres, and £1.7 billion
has gone to more than 70 hospitals to enable them to deliver
significant upgrades.
Patients in Carshalton and Wallington will benefit massively from
the building of a new hospital in Sutton and the improvement of
St Helier Hospital under NHS plans approved by the Government.
Will my right hon. Friend agree to meet me, and the NHS trusts?
They are raring to go and to get spades in the ground next year.
I know they are raring to go because I personally have spoken to
the chief exec about this scheme, but I can offer my hon. Friend
something better: the Minister of State, Department of Health and
Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (), will personally be visiting
shortly to discuss this further. But I also need to be
transparent with the House: we are fundamentally changing how we
are going to be building hospitals in the NHS estate—[Laughter.]
I am not sure why something as important as new
hospitals—learning from the Department for Education and the
Ministry of Justice through a more standardised model that allows
us to deliver more at a cheaper unit price and get them built
quicker—is a source of mirth to Opposition Members. It is
important that we standardise those designs, and that is what my
colleague the Minister of State will be discussing with my hon.
Friend.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
The new children’s hospital, the new adult building and the
maternity centre at Leeds General Infirmary will bring
much-needed new facilities to Leeds and the region, as well as
wider economic benefits. It is unusual among the hospital
building schemes. As the Secretary of State knows, the site is
clear and the plans are ready, so may I urge him to give the
go-ahead as soon as possible?
I visited that scheme over the summer. The right hon. Gentleman
will know that the costs have inflated significantly since what
was signed off by the Treasury in 2019. I think the point that
has been missed by Opposition Members is that the way we deliver
these schemes is to grip the cost better by using
standardisation, and that is what I will be discussing with Leeds
General. I agree with him that it is important that the scheme
goes ahead, and we need to work together to make sure that it
does so at a price that is affordable.
NHS Dental Contract
(Blackpool South) (Con)
8. What progress he is making on negotiating a new NHS dental
contract.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
In July, we made some initial changes to the reformed system to
support NHS dentistry. We have invested an extra £50 million,
reformed the contract to create more UDA—unit of dental
activity—bands to better reflect the fair cost of work, and
introduced a minimum UDA to help practices where the levels are
low, allowing dentists to deliver 110% of their UDAs to provide
more treatment. The number of dentists doing NHS work last year
was up 2.3% but we are working on plans to go further.
The changes made to the dental contract last week were a step in
the right direction, but they fall some way short of the holistic
reform required to help the estimated 25,000 of my constituents
who do not yet have an NHS dentist. Will the Minister consider a
change whereby the NHS funds subsidies to underprivileged areas
such as Blackpool, thereby allowing NHS practice to offer a
greater financial incentive to attract new dentists into those
areas?
Neil O’Brien
Absolutely; my hon. Friend and I have talked about this. We are
looking urgently at payment models and measures to address areas
that are struggling to attract the right workforce. The
commissioning of dentistry will be coming down to a more
accountable local level in April, and we need to build on that.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
My constituents in Durham have told me tales of DIY dentistry,
missing teeth, children in pain and the unfairness of only being
able to access dental care if they can afford it. Things should
not be this way. The British Dental Association does not accept
that the Government’s new plans go far enough to halt the decay
in NHS dentistry provision. Will the Minister tell me when the
Government will put in adequate funding and reform so that people
in Durham can get the dental care that they need and deserve?
Neil O’Brien
As well as increasing the number of dentists doing NHS work and
the amount of work being done, we are taking further steps to
look to the longer term and build NHS dentistry. The number of
dental school places is up from 810 in 2019 to 970 in 2021, but
of course we want to go further. We are making it easier for
dentists to come to the UK to practise. In fact, we laid draft
secondary legislation on 11 October to give the General Dental
Council more flexibility to do that. Around the country, plans
are advancing for centres for dental development to provide not
only additional dentists but hygienists and other nurses.
Health Inequalities
(Darlington) (Con)
9. What plans he has to reduce health inequalities.
(Cheadle) (Con)
18. What plans he has to reduce health inequalities.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
We are taking action on public health across the board. The £3
billion that we are investing in the drugs strategy will create
an extra 50,000 places in drug treatment. We have doubled the
duty on cigarettes since 2010 and brought in a minimum excise
tax. We now have the lowest smoking rate on record and will go
further. The £300 million that we are investing in Start for Life
means new or expanded family hubs in 75 local authorities. We are
taking action right across Government, from the £55 billion that
we are investing in energy support to the measures that we are
taking through at the moment to crack down on non-decent housing.
Levelling up is not just about jobs and infrastructure; it is
about healthcare too, and dentistry is a key part of that.
However, Darlington faces the potential closure of its surgery,
which serves 7,000 patients, because the current system of NHS
dentistry makes the business case for that surgery unviable. What
will my hon. Friend do to ensure that we level up dental services
so that my constituents can get the services that they need?
Neil O’Brien
My hon. Friend and I have discussed this, and we are due to meet
again shortly. I repeat my offer to speak both to that practice
and to local partners so that we can tackle this crucial problem.
Research by the University of Manchester adds to the significant
body of evidence showing that addressing disparities in
healthcare is key to levelling up. Inequalities have resulted in
a 30% productivity gap in the north, which can be attributed to
poorer health. Will my hon. Friend outline how the Government are
working to address this and to ensure that residents of the north
are not at a health and care disadvantage?
Neil O’Brien
I saw that important report, and we have to tackle the problem
from both the health end and the economic end. Spending on health
in the north grew from £36.5 billion in 2018-19 to £52.6 billion
in 2020, so there is significant investment in health and
preventing ill health in the north. Economic activity stops
people sliding into a cycle of ill health and worklessness, and
we are working jointly with the Department for Work and Pensions
to roll out more disability employment advisers in jobcentres.
The underlying key is to tackle and prevent ill health, hence the
£3 billion drug strategy and the measures on smoking, energy and
housing.
(Caithness, Sutherland and
Easter Ross) (LD)
I will give the Minister a good example of health inequality.
Until quite recently, we had a perfectly good consultant-led
maternity service based in Caithness. Following the Scottish
Government’s rubber-stamping decisions, pregnant mothers now have
to make a 200-mile return journey to Inverness to give birth.
That glaring inequality is despicable. I hope His Majesty’s
Government will share best practice with the Scottish Government
on tackling this problem.
Neil O’Brien
I am always keen to work constructively with the Scottish
Government. This sounds like a serious problem. My right hon.
Friend the Secretary of State set out how we are using our health
and capital spend more efficiently, and unfortunately this is an
example of where it is not happening in Caithness.
(North Shropshire) (LD)
It is well documented that people in rural areas have worse
health outcomes than people in urban areas. One driver is that
the most vulnerable people lack access to the services they need.
Will the Minister consider working with his colleagues in the
Department for Transport to figure out how the most vulnerable
people can access the healthcare they need?
Neil O’Brien
We are rolling out community diagnostic centres to bring services
closer to those who need them, and we are investing in 21,200
extra people working in general practice to make sure that rural
services, as well as services in the rest of the country, are
improved.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
In 2019, the Tories promised to extend healthy life expectancy by
five years, but on this they are failing. In the last year, the
health disparities White Paper has disappeared, the tobacco
control plan has been delayed and they have chickened out on
implementing the obesity strategy because the Prime Minister is
too cowardly to stand up to his Back Benchers. Health
inequalities are widening as a consequence. Does the Minister
plan to revive any of these strategies, or have the Conservatives
completely given up on prevention?
Neil O’Brien
I have already talked about some of the things we are doing to
crack on with improving public health and narrowing inequalities,
but I will add some more. We are driving up blood donations from
shortage groups and vaccine uptake in areas with the lowest
uptake. I mentioned the extra £900 million for drug treatment,
taking the total to £3 billion over three years. I will not
repeat all the things I mentioned but, across the board, we are
working at pace to improve public health and narrow health
inequalities.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
10. What steps his Department is taking to improve survival rates
from sudden cardiac arrest.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation doubles or quadruples the
chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Defibrillation within three to five minutes dramatically improves
the chance of survival, which is why NHS England is establishing
a network of defibrillators and community first responders to
save up to 4,000 lives a year by 2028.
On average, 150 people a day die from sudden cardiac arrest
outside hospital. Access to a defibrillator is crucial for
survival. Without one, the chance of surviving drops by 10% every
minute. I welcome the Government’s commitment to rolling out
defibrillators across state-funded schools in England and Wales,
but I share the concern that, because of significant ongoing
supply chain issues, it might not be achieved. Can the Minister
explain how the Department is helping to reach the target of
supplying 20,000 defibrillators by 2023?
As the hon. Lady says, access to a defibrillator makes a great
difference to the survival prospects of somebody having a sudden
cardiac arrest, which most commonly happens either at home or in
the workplace. Since May 2020, the Government have required all
new school builds and refurbishments to have defibrillators
installed. I am happy to look into the concern she raises and get
back to her. I am also working on other initiatives to make sure
we get more defibrillators into public places.
(Gainsborough) (Con)
Like many of my Lincolnshire constituents, I live in a remote
village and in the unlikely event of my having a sudden cardiac
arrest—I am sure that would disappoint people—there is no
prospect of an ambulance coming within 10, 15 or even 20 minutes.
The Government could make themselves really popular in rural
areas by having a massive campaign to roll out defibrillators in
most villages. For instance, we have a good opportunity to put a
defibrillator in all those red telephone boxes that BT are now
closing down.
My right hon. Friend makes an important point, and this is
exactly why work is going on to increase the number of
defibrillators across the community, for instance, in villages
such as his. Many villages will already have them. We are also
supporting the NHS to train community first responders to make
sure that there are people all across the community who have the
skills to do CPR— cardiopulmonary resuscitation—and use a
defibrillator. I look forward to being able to announce shortly a
new initiative that will mean further defibrillators across our
communities.
Social Care Reform
(Hornsey and Wood Green)
(Lab)
11. What progress he has made on delivering social care reform.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
We are already putting social care reforms into practice. For
instance, we want care providers to adopt digital care records,
and more than 50% have already done so. I am determined to shine
more light on our social care system, so our new Care Quality
Commission-led assurance of local authorities’ social care duties
will start in April.
One of the worst vacancy rates across the NHS is that of
geriatricians. What urgent action is the Minister putting in
place to ensure that people either at home with domiciliary care
or in social care settings are seeing a geriatrician consultant
regularly? If there is a shortage, which I believe there is, what
action is she taking to have more doctors train as geriatricians?
The hon. Lady makes an important point about people who are
receiving social care also having access to the healthcare they
need and these systems working together across our health and
social care systems. We are training more doctors overall, and we
have an increase in medical school places, which is leading to
more doctors coming through. I am happy to take away and look at
her question about the number of geriatricians.
(Aldridge-Brownhills)
(Con)
On delivering social care reform, does the Minister agree that we
also need to be looking at how the funding packages work,
particularly across borders? I have a constituent whose case
falls between two local authorities. Will she agree to meet me as
a matter of urgency to make sure that this poor constituent
receives the funding she needs for her husband’s care?
As announced in the autumn statement, we have a record funding
settlement of £7.5 billion going into the social care system over
the next two years, to improve both access and quality of care. I
am happy to meet my right hon. Friend to look into the specific
challenge that she has outlined, because it is important that
local areas are working together across boundaries.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Leicester West) (Lab)
Let’s just tell it like it is on the Government’s record on
social care reform. Their cap on care costs was first promised 10
years ago. In 2015, they delayed it and in 2017 they scrapped it.
In 2019, the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip
() again promised to fix the
crisis in social care, but last month the Chancellor buried the
policy, once and for all. After 12 long years, what have
Conservative Members got to show on social care: the highest ever
staff vacancies; millions left without the care they need;
hospitals full of people who do not need to be there; and
families picking up the strain. Isn’t the truth on social care,
just as with our economy, transport, housing and schools, that
the Conservatives have run out of excuses and run out of road,
and the country deserves a change?
We have delayed our social care charging reforms because we
listened to those in the system and we heard local authorities
asking for more time to prepare. Importantly, we have allowed
local authorities to keep the money allocated to that in their
bank accounts to fund some of the current pressures on social
care. I ask the hon. Lady to recognise the record funding
settlement for social care in the autumn statement—£7.5 billion
for social care over the next two years—which she has not even
acknowledged. That is coupled with the fact that we are pressing
full steam ahead with our system-wide reforms to social care,
with funding of more than £1 billion to support the workforce and
innovations in social care and to transform the quality and
access to social care across the country.
New Hospitals Programme: King’s Lynn
(North West Norfolk) (Con)
12. What recent assessment he has made of the expressions of
interest submitted by Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS
Foundation Trust to be part of the new hospitals programme.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
I had the question down as No.13, but given who is asking the
question I can guess that it is related to the build of the
King’s Lynn hospital.
I visited the site and looked at the scheme over the summer. I
made it clear in a speech that I gave to NHS Providers that
addressing the concerns of the RAAC—the rebar autoclaved aerated
concrete——hospitals is my No. 1 priority. Obviously, I cannot
comment on individual schemes while the process is ongoing, but I
can assure my hon. Friend that we are working actively on it.
I warmly welcome the priority that my right hon. Friend has put
on resolving the serious RAAC concrete issues at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital, but the decision on this was due in the
spring. Christmas is coming and the only question that people in
North West Norfolk have is, when will we get the present that
everyone wants—a new hospital for the staff and patients?
I note the extensive support that my hon. Friend has among
parliamentary colleagues, including my right hon. Friend the
Member for South West Norfolk (), who has recently added
her support to the scheme. He will be aware that we allocated £20
million last year and £30 million this year to address some of
the immediate issues, but we recognise that it is a priority and
we are working on it.
NHS Dentists
(East Yorkshire) (Con)
13. What recent steps his Department has taken to increase the
number of dentists working in the NHS.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
As well as making it more attractive to practise in the NHS, the
number of dental school places is up from 810 in 2019 to 970 in
2021, making it easier for qualified dentists to come to the UK.
We are putting through secondary legislation on that and
encouraging new centres for dental development.
Is the Minister aware that there is a particular problem in
Bridlington in my constituency, where an increasing number of
residents are finding it not just difficult to access NHS dental
care, but impossible to do so? Recently, a dental practice in the
town has closed. Will he agree to meet me on this matter to see
what can be done to resolve the issue, hopefully sooner rather
than later?
Neil O’Brien
Of course, I would be keen to meet to try to address those issues
and to build on the work that we are doing nationally.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
York has had a dental desert for years. It is six years now to
see an NHS dentist and the Government have made no change to
improve that situation, or to bring more NHS centres into my
area. In March, dentistry will be moving into integrated care
systems and integrated care boards. How are they going to solve
the problem?
Neil O’Brien
One problem has been that having large, remote regional
commissioning for dentistry has meant that it is more unlikely
that specific local problems will be picked up. That is why we
are taking the step that the hon. Member has described. She is
now complaining about it, even though it is a measure to get more
local accountability over the way that services are commissioned.
Medical Students: University Places
(Lichfield) (Con)
14. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of
State for Education on increasing the number of university places
for medical students; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a
long-term workforce plan. That plan will help to ensure that we
have the right numbers of staff, including doctors with the right
skills, to deliver high-quality services fit for the future. The
plan will be independently verified. We have funded 1,500 more
medical school places in England and opened five new medical
schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and
Canterbury, and there are record numbers of medical students in
training.
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. He will know that it takes
five or six gruelling years to get a Bachelor of Medicine or a
Bachelor of Surgery degree—or Doctor of Medicine in Scotland—but
many students, having graduated, think that they would prefer
more structured development by working as hospital doctors. What
can we do to encourage young graduates to go into general
practice?
We have record numbers going into general practice, which is the
remit of the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,
my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil O’Brien), but part
of the plan is to make it more attractive through practice
improvement through cloud-based telephony, the additional roles
reimbursement scheme, the 24,000 extra staff in primary care,
developing multi-function staff so that people can develop their
skills and have specialism but still practise as a GP, increasing
the use of pharmacy, moving towards more continuity of care and
the new GP contract for 2024-25.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
But when are we going to see the workforce plan? The other day I
spoke to a radiologist who runs a radiology department. There are
meant to be 15, but there are only five and they have not had a
single person apply. It needs more radiologists and
radiographers. We have a national shortage of dermatologists,
which is one reason why skin cancers are not being picked up, and
a national shortage of pathologists and histopathologists. We
need a dramatic increase in the number of people working in the
NHS. When are we going to see that workforce plan?
As I said, we have committed to publishing a comprehensive
workforce strategy, which, as the Chancellor set out, will be
independently verified. That will come soon. We have also set out
new pension flexibilities. However, it is important to point out
that we have 29,000 more nurses and we are on track to meet our
50,000 target. We have 3,700 more doctors compared with last
year, 9,100 extra nurses and 2,300 more GPs.
Topical Questions
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
(Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We know that women can benefit from more personalised care,
especially in pregnancy. The Tommy’s app is a new clinical
decision tool for the NHS and for women, another example of how
we are using artificial intelligence to improve our maternity
system. That will help to end some of the variation in maternity
care from hospital to hospital. I am pleased to tell hon.
Members, particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and
Melton (), who is a great champion of
improved mental health, that today my Department, through our
National Institute for Health and Care Research, has agreed to
provide the funding needed for the next stage of the app’s
development. I pay tribute to Sienna and all those other babies
born stillborn to their parents and thank all those in this
Chamber who have campaigned passionately on this important issue.
Another dental practice in my constituency recently handed back
its NHS contract. When I contacted local NHS management about the
impact of the closure, it stated that the area in question was
adjudged to be well served for NHS dentistry practices because
there are 11 practices within a half-mile radius. The experience
of my constituents, now left searching for NHS dental services,
is that none of those practices is accepting new NHS patients.
What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that assessments
of the sufficiency of NHS dental services reflect the real
situation on the ground, and when will we see a sustainable
solution to the problems my constituents face?
The hon. Lady raises an important issue that is of concern across
the House, as we have already seen in the exchanges the
Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my hon.
Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil O’Brien) answered. That in
part was why, during the pandemic, we used £1.7 billion of
funding to protect dentistry and why we got a commitment through
the £3 billion a year funding of dentistry, but we are looking at
how we localise that commissioning to get better value out of the
contract, which was the point my hon. Friend raised.
(Cheadle) (Con)
T2. At 1 o’clock today, patient safety expert Dr Bill
Kirkup will be speaking to MPs at the all-party parliamentary
group for whistleblowing, to which all colleagues are invited. It
is a timely meeting following last week’s “Newsnight” programme,
which highlighted yet another NHS trust where a culture of fear
left staff unable to speak up on patient safety concerns. It is
clear change is needed. Does my hon. Friend agree that supporting
whistleblowers in the NHS is crucial to patient safety?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
My hon. Friend is so right. I praise her work with the APPG and I
know many colleagues will want to attend. Whistleblowers can save
lives and improve healthcare, as I have seen in my own
constituency, and she is right to be pressing on this matter.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Ilford North) (Lab)
The chairman of the Conservative party claims that NHS strikes
are exactly what Vladimir Putin wants, so why is not the Health
Secretary negotiating to prevent them from going ahead?
I have seen the hon. Gentleman make that claim across the media a
number of times. Just to reassure him, my door is open and I have
been clear with the trade unions that I am available; I am
available to them this afternoon or tomorrow. It is not I who set
a precondition for those talks. When I met the trade unions, they
raised a number of issues; not only pay, but safety of staff and
other conditions, the estate, tech and so forth, and I am happy
to engage with them on those points.
We get the warm words about wanting to negotiate, but a
Government source briefed The Times last week that the Secretary
of State’s plan is to wait for public sentiment to turn against
striking nurses, saying:
“This is going to affect a lot of people…it could have a big
impact on a lot of them and…in the end they will get fed up”.
He knows that this winter is going to be the most difficult that
the NHS has ever faced, and he is using nurses as scapegoats to
avoid the blame. That is the shameful truth, isn’t it?
First, it is a bit bizarre that, at departmental questions, the
best the hon. Gentleman can manage is “a Government source”.
Secondly, the revelation from that Government source is that this
will affect “a lot of people”. I do not think that comes as any
surprise. That is why we regret the action and are very open to
having talks. The point is that he himself does not support the
19% pay demand of the trade unions. He stands here saying that we
should be talking while he himself does not accept their
proposal.
(Harrow East) (Con)
T4. There have been several changes of Ministers, as we
know, but officials have carried on working through these
changes, so can we know on what day, date and time the
long-promised and overdue tobacco control plan will finally be
published?
Neil O’Brien
Whatever format our next steps forward are set out in, we will be
pushing forward very quickly and aggressively on this. This year,
we are putting £35 million into the NHS to support our services
for everyone who goes in to stop smoking. We have doubled duty on
cigarettes and brought in a minimum excise tax. Women who are
pregnant now routinely get a carbon monoxide test. National
campaigns such as Stoptober have now helped 2.1 million people to
quit smoking. We are also supporting a future medically licensed
vaping product as a quitting aid. We will be pressing forward at
the greatest speed.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Coatbridge, Chryston and
Bellshill) (SNP)
Intellectual property protections are an important way of
protecting healthcare companies’ innovations, as we know.
However, developments on intellectual property can also impact
the rights of individuals, limiting access to affordable,
life-saving and essential medical products. What recent
representations has the Secretary of State made to colleagues in
the Department for International Trade to seek assurances that
nothing in the proposed free trade agreement with India will
impact or jeopardise access to affordable medicines for NHS
patients in Scotland?
I can reassure the hon. Gentleman on that. I would have thought
that he would also welcome the commitment to a £15 billion to £20
billion increase in R&D investment, the championing of life
sciences that the Minister for Health, my hon. Friend the Member
for Colchester (), has been leading on, and the
opportunity we have to address greater variation within the NHS
by bringing forward the innovations from our life industry and
applying them much more quickly.
(Rother Valley)
(Con)
T7. Several GP practices in Rother Valley, such as
Swallownest Health Centre, operate a policy of having to ring the
doctor’s surgery at 8 am for an appointment. Residents find
themselves being placed 50th or 60th in the queue, and are then
told that no appointment is available and to call back the next
day. This is clearly an unacceptable way to offer appointments.
What steps are my hon. Friends taking to stop the current failed
booking system and instead guarantee a system of pre-booked
appointments at all GP surgeries?
Neil O’Brien
That is something that we are working on very actively. As well
as financially supporting GPs to roll out new and better ways of
managing their appointments, we are looking at what criteria we
expect from GPs. We already set out some moves in our summer
action plan, but we will be looking further at preventing the
lamentable situation my hon. Friend describes of people being
asked to ring back or being held in long phone queues. That is
not acceptable.
(Kingston upon Hull East)
(Lab)
T3. The public are not daft. They know that the backlogs in the
NHS existed well before the pandemic, they know that the NHS was
already on its knees, and they know that it was this Tory
Government who brought it to its knees. So why do the Government
not take up Labour’s policy of scrapping non-dom status, use the
£3.6 billion to train nurses, doctors and midwives, and get the
NHS back on its feet? People in east Hull want nurses, not
non-doms.
The data is very clear; in fact, it is very stark on the extent
to which the backlog is driven predominantly by the pandemic.
That is why we have a programme, through the extra investment in
the autumn statement: the £6.6 billion over the next two years
going into the NHS, but also the £2.8 billion next year and £4.7
billion the year after into social care, and £8 billion in 2024.
We recognise the size of those backlogs, so we can fund the
surgical hubs and diagnostic centres.
(South East Cornwall)
(Con)
I met local care providers last Friday, and they raised two main
points with me: concerns about energy costs and covid in care
homes. They were keen to see their nursing staff vaccinated with
residents, all at the same time. I recognise that that happens in
some places, but can we look at making it the norm throughout the
country?
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
My hon. Friend makes an important point. The NHS is strongly
encouraging local vaccination teams to vaccinate staff, as well
as residents when they visit care homes. That should be normal
practice. I am happy to look into it, if that is not happening in
her area. I take this opportunity to encourage any health or
social care worker who has not had their covid or flu jab this
winter to please go ahead and get one.
(Eltham) (Lab)
T5. Parents are becoming increasingly worried about the
current prevalence of strep A. It is a time of year when parents
are going to have children with high temperatures and sore
throats, so concern is likely to be very high. There are also
concerns about the availability of antibiotics. Does the
Secretary of State believe that this is a moment where the
Government need to make a statement and show clear leadership to
calm people down and reassure them about the situation?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
We held a cross-party briefing last night on strep A. We want to
reassure parents, and if their children have symptoms and they
are concerned, please seek help. GPs are ready and A&E
departments are ready, and we have directors of public health
proactively going into schools where there are cases. There is no
shortage of antibiotics—we want to reassure people on that—and we
are keeping an eye on that on a daily basis.
(Burnley) (Con)
The East Lancashire community diagnosis centre already includes
Burnley hospital, and as part of that we are opening two new
endoscopy rooms in the spring. Residents, the trust and I know
that the local hospital can do even more to reduce the covid
backlog with the right Government investment. Will the Minister
agree to meet me to discuss phase 9 of the hospital’s
development, which would bring a brand-new radiology suite?
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care
()
My hon. Friend is a strong champion for Burnley, and I
congratulate Burnley General Teaching Hospital on the incredible
innovative work it is doing. He is right that rolling out 91 out
of 160 CDCs is a tremendous effort, but we want to go further,
and I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these
plans further.
(Cynon Valley) (Lab)
T8. Last week, the First Minister of Wales, , said that pay awards are
not being funded at the level they should be. The Wales TUC
general secretary said that unless we have a fairer funding
settlement for Wales, we are going to struggle going forward.
When will this Government listen to the Welsh Government and the
Welsh trade unions and provide the proper funded pay award that
NHS staff deserve?
I simply direct the hon. Member to the Barnett consequentials. As
a former Chief Secretary who has had those discussions with the
Welsh Finance Minister I know, and the hon. Lady should know,
that Wales gets significantly more funding per head of population
than England. I hope she welcomes the fact that, through the
extra £6.6 billion in the autumn statement, the First Minister
will have a significant uplift, and it is for him to decide how
he wishes to spend that money.
Mr (South West Hertfordshire)
(Con)
I was recently contacted by Amanda in my beautiful constituency
of South West Hertfordshire, whose 88-year-old mother had fallen
in her flat and unfortunately broken her hip. After waiting for
five hours and making two calls to 999, her mother was still
lying on the floor. Once they arrived at A&E, Amanda and her
mother waited several more hours before being seen. Can my right
hon. Friend assure the House that he is doing everything possible
to find a solution to this system-wide issue?
My hon. Friend raises an extremely important case. I am happy to
meet him to discuss it further, because it is a concerning case
and I am keen to engage with him on it.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
T9. My hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish
(), the shadow Minister for
public health, touched on health inequalities earlier, but I did
not hear the Health Secretary recommit to publishing the White
Paper by the deadline. Does he understand that the cost of living
crisis and poverty are leading to greater health inequalities and
that action is needed urgently? Can he recommit to that White
Paper being published?
We are absolutely committed to addressing health inequalities.
Rather than simply looking at 10 years’ time, we are looking at
the immediate actions we can take, because what
matters—[Interruption.] Those on the Opposition Front Bench
chunter about White Papers, but what I am interested in is
immediate delivery—what we can be doing now, rather than
speculating about what is done in 10 years’ time.
(Bromsgrove) (Con)
We are seeing a sad increase in suicide rates across the country.
In 2012, the then Government published a 10-year cross-Government
suicide prevention plan. Earlier this year, the Government under
the leadership of my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge
and South Ruislip () committed to a new 10-year
plan that would be published before the start of 2023. There is
no sign of that cross-Government 10-year suicide prevention plan,
but maybe I am wrong, and perhaps the Government are about to
publish it, because I know that so much of the work has already
been done. May I ask my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State
to show that he takes suicide prevention seriously and publish
this plan as soon as possible?
I thank my right hon. Friend and pay tribute to him for all his
work in this area; he has driven this agenda forward. I want to
reassure him that we are looking at that. He will understand that
we have had some changes in recent weeks, but I assure him that
tackling the issue of suicide is a high priority, and we will
make an announcement shortly.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Ind)
In a case that is sadly all too typical, a GP in Ealing, who has
seen their patient list go up from 3,000 to 9,000 in the last
decade, had plans approved for expansion, but NHS estates now
will not cough up. What are the Government doing to support
doctors in inadequate premises who cannot increase their patient
lists to expand and modernise in the current climate?
Neil O’Brien
The total activity done by GPs was about 7% up in October
compared with the previous year. We are actively looking at the
way that capital works and the contributions of section 106 and
the local integrated care board, to ensure that, as well as
having those 2,300 extra doctors and 21,000 extra staff, GPs also
have good facilities to work in.
(Witney) (Con)
Access to dentistry is an acute issue for West Oxfordshire. Can
Ministers explain what they are doing to help rural areas such as
mine, and can we meet to discuss it further?
Neil O’Brien
I have mentioned the fact that the number of NHS dentists was up
2% to 2.3% last year, as well as the extra £50 million and the
reforms we have made to the contract, but we will go further. We
want to address those areas, and particularly rural areas, where
more provision is urgently needed.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners has
expressed concerns about patients with chronic conditions such as
asthma, diabetes and even serious mental health conditions
refusing sick notes because they cannot afford time off work.
What discussions has the Secretary of State had with Cabinet
colleagues about the adequacy of statutory sick pay during this
cost of living crisis?
I refer the hon. Lady to the autumn statement, in which my right
hon. Friend the Chancellor set out a wide range of support
packages to help with the cost of living across the United
Kingdom, including the cost of energy. That is part of wider
discussions that we have on a regular basis with the Treasury.
(Sleaford and North
Hykeham) (Con)
The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the number of people
waiting for treatment. In 2019, there were 54 women waiting more
than a year to see a gynaecologist. That number is now more than
40,000. What is my right hon. Friend doing to reduce this wait?
This is a good illustration of the challenge the country faces
with backlogs that are very much driven by the pandemic. We are
working with senior figures such as Jim Mackey and Professor Tim
Briggs and the Getting It Right First Time programme to look at
patient pathways, how we use our diagnostics and our surgical
hubs and streamlining the way we get services to patients where
backlogs have built up.
(Belfast East) (DUP)
This morning, we tragically learned that a five-year-old girl who
was a P2 pupil at Black Mountain Primary School died yesterday in
Belfast with strep A. I am grateful to the Minister for the
answer she gave to the hon. Member for Eltham () on strep A and her
encouraging commitment that antibiotics including penicillin are
available, but can she ensure that our public health agencies
across this United Kingdom co-operate with one another and that
if additional resource is required, it will be made available?
I am very sorry to hear about that tragic case in Northern
Ireland. We want to reassure people that, while there is a
slightly higher number of cases than usual for this time of year,
the UK Health Security Agency is on top of this and is not
concerned that there is a wider outbreak than would be expected.
We want to encourage parents who are concerned that their
children are not responding to get help as soon as possible.
Antibiotics are available, and local directors of public health
should be co-ordinating local activity, but if there are any
concerns, Members should come and see me.
(Southend West) (Con)
On Saturday, I visited Chalkwell Grange, a brilliant new care
home in picturesque Leigh-on-Sea which is struggling to recruit
due to the guidance that all care workers should wear face masks.
Will the Secretary of State give care homes the best Christmas
present ever and change the word “should” to “can” or “may”, to
put them in charge of their own infection control?
I thank my hon. Friend; it is good to hear that she has visited a
local care home. I have also heard what she heard from staff.
Although face masks are important for infection control, we know
that they have downsides, such as making communication harder. I
have asked for updated public health advice on the use of masks
in care homes and I look forward to updating hon. Members and the
social care sector on the guidance about that shortly.
(St Albans) (LD)
My constituent is a victim of sexual misconduct by a medical
professional, but they cannot challenge that professional’s
fitness to practice because of the five-year rule. The General
Medical Council wants that rule to be scrapped and the Government
consulted on whether to get rid of it more than a year ago. Can
the Minister say whether it is the Government’s intention to
scrap it? Will she meet me to discuss how important it is that
the GMC can explore whether a potentially dangerous medical
professional who is still practising may be unfit to do so?
I thank the hon. Lady for her campaigning on this serious issue.
I am happy to meet her and I suggest that we also meet the
patient safety commissioner, Henrietta Hughes, to discuss it
further.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
Can the Secretary of State give the House an undertaking that no
NHS or social care facility will be decommissioned and used to
house asylum seekers in Northamptonshire or the rest of the
country?
I am not aware of any proposal on those lines. On my hon.
Friend’s earlier point, as I said, I am happy to meet him to
discuss the issue of step-down care and I am sure that there will
be an opportunity to discuss any other concerns that he has at
the same time.
(South Shields) (Lab)
My constituent Margaret Cramman is a full-time carer for her
daughter. Throughout the pandemic, she was denied respite care.
Now the care setting insists on testing for visitors and mask
wearing for staff, which causes distress to some of the young
people being cared for, who rely on vital facial recognition.
Nearly all the other covid guidance has been reviewed, but the
guidance for respite care remains the same. Why are carers and
those they care for always an afterthought for the Government?
I point the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon.
Friend the Member for Southend West () a moment ago specifically
about face masks. I have asked for updated guidance for the
social care sector on the use of face masks. I recognise the
difficulties they cause—for instance, in communication—and I am
looking forward to being able to give an update to hon. Members
and the sector on that shortly.
Mr Speaker
Last question, .
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
What assessment has the Secretary of State made of geographic
variation in access to innovative liver cancer treatments, such
as selective internal radiation therapy?
It is a brilliant question on which to close, because one of the
things that all hon. Members should be hugely interested in is
how we are adopting innovation more quickly and industrialising
that innovation across the NHS as a whole, as opposed to in
silos. That is something that we are focused on in the Department
and it is a key priority. I am happy to speak to the Scottish
Government and others about how we can work together on that.
