Health and Social Care ministers were answering questions in the
Commons today. Subjects covered included...
To read any of these in greater detail, click on the link above or
see below
Access to GPs
(Gedling) (Con)
1. What steps he is taking to improve access to GPs. [900427]
(Hastings and Rye)
(Con)
4. What steps he is taking to improve access to GPs. [900430]
(North East
Bedfordshire) (Con)
6. What steps he is taking to improve access to GP surgeries in
North East Bedfordshire constituency. [900432]
(Wolverhampton South
West) (Con)
11. What steps he is taking to improve access to GPs. [900437]
(Newbury) (Con)
20. What steps he is taking to improve access to GPs. [900446]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer Questions 1, 4,
6, 11 and 20 together. [Interruption.] General practice is a
popular subject.
We will create an extra 50 million appointments a year in primary
care so that everyone can go to the GP when they need to.
There are many families with children in Gedling. What is being
done to ensure that patients, particularly families with young
children, can access GP appointments when they need them?
Obviously this is an incredibly important subject, and I know the
frustration many families feel at not being able to access a GP
appointment when they need it. We have a whole-scale programme of
work to improve access. This includes recruiting 6,000 more GPs
and 26,000 primary care staff other than GPs—increasingly
patients at GP surgeries can be treated by nurses—and
increasingly enabling people, especially those who find it
difficult to travel, to use technology to get the treatment they
need.
Hastings has a shortage of salaried GPs and GP services—locum GPs
are available, at the right price. Will the Secretary of State
please outline what steps he is taking to increase the number of
salaried, rather than locum, GPs and GP services in Hastings and
Rye?
My hon. Friend is right to ask. It is incredibly important that
we get the right number of GPs, not least to reduce the amount
spent on locums, who can be very expensive and often do not know
the local population as well as salaried GPs. Her local clinical
commissioning group is developing a new-to-practice fellowship in
Hastings for GPs starting out in practice in order to encourage
more doctors into practice and then to support them. It is also
working with primary care networks so that more can become GP
trainers and take on students. We are expanding the numbers going
into GP training—there were record numbers last year—but I want
the numbers to go up again and to make sure that Hastings gets
the GPs it needs.
As part of the council area with the second-largest population
increase in the country, the people of Biggleswade, Sandy,
Arlesey and Stotfold are at their wits’ end over access to GP
appointments. What special attention will the Secretary of State
pay to those areas of large population growth to make sure that
increases in housing are matched by increased access to GPs?
That is an incredibly important point. We have a manifesto
commitment to ensure that where there is new housing there is
also new primary care. Just as a new housing estate will often
require a new primary school and new transport links, so we need
to put in the GPs as well.
I thank the Secretary of State for visiting Tettenhall Wood
surgery in my constituency during the general election campaign.
Will he work with me to increase the numbers of patient
appointments back up to where they were before?
Yes. My hon. Friend has already become an incredibly strong voice
for Wolverhampton, and it was a pleasure to visit Tettenhall
medical practice, which has joined with other GP practices to
form a primary care network, which I hope will strengthen its
resilience and enable it to provide extended access to
appointments, which is what he is campaigning for. I am pleased,
too, with the extra 16,000 appointments in Wolverhampton in the
last quarter. As this shows, we are driving up the number of
appointments, but we also appreciate, understand and feel the
frustration people feel when they cannot get decent access to GP
appointments.
Changes to pension contributions mean that some senior GPs,
including in Newbury, are being hit with extra tax charges if
they work overtime, which is leading to the paradoxical situation
of GPs paying to work and so reducing their hours or taking early
retirement. What steps is the Secretary of State’s Department
taking to address this situation?
Tax is, of course, a matter for the Treasury, and the Chancellor
would not be thrilled if I announced tax policy in the middle of
health questions, tempting as that may be. However, we have been
working with the Treasury, and also with the Academy of Medical
Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association, employers in the
NHS and others, to deliver on our manifesto commitment to sort
this out.
Mr Speaker
.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
You rather surprised me then, Mr Speaker!
The Secretary of State mentioned primary care networks. As he
will know, two weeks ago GPs rejected the new service
specifications in those networks. This has been described as a
debacle, and as leading to more red tape and taking GPs away from
patients. If the Secretary of State is going to fix these
contracts, can he tell us how he is going to do it—or is he
content to see more GPs walk out of primary care networks before
they have even got off the ground?
Primary care networks have been an incredibly successful
innovation, covering the whole country and allowing practices to
work together. Of course, the negotiations with the BMA over the
GP contract are always tough: they have been in every year in
which they have taken place. The hon. Gentleman will understand
why I want to get the best possible value for the money that the
NHS spends, but I also want to see a successful conclusion to
this negotiation, and we are working with the BMA to that end.
The Secretary of State describes primary care networks as a great
success, but a local medical committee in Buckinghamshire and
Berkshire has just warned that they will cost each practice
£100,000 more. Having failed to deliver the 5,000 extra doctors
that the Government previously promised, having failed to recruit
more GPs in the poorest areas, having now bungled the
negotiations over this contract, and having failed to fix the
pension tax changes for which he was partly responsible, how on
earth can the Secretary of State be trusted to deliver on the
Prime Minister’s promise to cut GP waiting times to less than
three weeks?
It is a bit of a disappointment to hear the hon. Gentleman talk
down primary care. We are making record investments in primary
care, we have record numbers of GPs in training, we are seeing an
increase in the number of appointments in Wolverhampton and
across the country, we are negotiating with GPs to strengthen
general practice, in the last year we have introduced primary
care networks that help to make primary care more sustainable, we
are improving the technology that is available in primary care,
and, for the first time in a generation, the proportion of the
total NHS budget going into primary and community care is rising,
whereas there were cuts under Labour. I think the hon. Gentleman
should be standing up and saying thank you.
(Ealing North) (Lab/Co-op)
Hanwell health centre, which works hard to serve many of my
constituents, has told me that it has been trying to appoint a
salaried GP for three years, as well as a large number of nurses.
There is generally a four-week wait for an appointment, although
the centre has provided 75 more appointments to cope with demand.
Under the Secretary of State’s plans, when will those waiting
times come down?
This is precisely why we need to recruit more GPs, in the hon.
Gentleman’s constituency and across the country, and also recruit
more other clinicians to general practice. [Hon. Members: “How?”]
I will tell you how, Mr Speaker. In the first instance, the
record numbers of GPs in training will help, but that is not the
entirety of the plan. I urge the hon. Gentleman to get on board
and support general practice.
(Eltham) (Lab)
In 2015 the Secretary of State’s predecessor promised 5,000 more
GPs by 2020. The Secretary of State repeated that promise when he
took over the job, but my constituents are finding it
increasingly difficult to get a GP appointment within three
weeks. Will the Secretary of State now apologise to everyone who
is waiting for failing to keep his promises?
The commitment that we have made is that we will have 6,000 more
GPs and 26,000 other clinical staff in general practice. That is
the commitment that we have made, and that is the commitment on
which we will deliver.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale)
(LD)
In rural communities such as mine, GP surgeries often serve huge
geographical areas with relatively small patient numbers.
Coniston, for example, has a roll of about 900 patients, yet the
next nearest surgery is two lakes away. Will the Secretary of
State commit to establishing a strategic small surgeries fund to
ensure that small surgeries in rural communities remain
sustainable for the long term?
The hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point. General
practice, where 90% of all NHS appointments take place, needs to
reach every part of this country, including his beautiful
constituency, which is, as he says, very sparse. Of course we
need to ensure that the practices there are sustainable, and
again this is an area in which technology can be of particular
help. There is great enthusiasm for using technology so that the
travelling times of patients and sometimes of GPs can be reduced.
Adult Social Care
(Blaydon) (Lab)
2. What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unmet
demand for adult social care. [900428]
(Battersea) (Lab)
7. What assessment he has made of trends in the level of unmet
demand for adult social care. [900433]
The Minister for Care ()
The Government have enshrined in legislation through the Care Act
2014 a council’s statutory duty to meet eligible needs for adult
social care. We have given councils access to up to £1.5 billion
more dedicated funding for social care in 2020-21 to help them to
meet this requirement.
Figures from Age UK show that 1.5 million people aged 65 and over
have an unmet social care need, and Age UK estimates that this
figure will rise to 2.1 million by 2030 if we carry on as we are.
In my constituency, that equates to 3,012 older people with unmet
needs and 2,517 older people providing unpaid care. Those are
real people who are not getting the help they need. The Prime
Minister said last summer that he had a plan to “fix” social
care. Where is it?
As I have explained, the Care Act sets out the requirement that
entitles individuals to a care needs assessment and sets a
minimum national threshold at which care should be delivered. We
have backed councils up by giving them access to £1.5 billion in
additional funding in the next financial year. In the hon.
Member’s constituency, that will equate to an additional £5.1
million from the new social care grant. This is something that
the Government take very seriously.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, more than 1.8
million older and disabled people are currently going without the
support that they need to live independently. This crisis has
come after the Conservative Government abolished the independent
living fund and cut nearly £8 billion from adult social care
budgets. In 2017, we were promised a Green Paper, but there has
been nothing. Months ago, the Prime Minister stood on the steps
of 10 Downing Street promising to “fix” social care, so when will
the Government finally publish those plans?
We just do not recognise the figures that the hon. Lady is
parroting. Public spending on adult social care in 2018-19
reached £17.9 billion in cash terms, which is the highest level
on record. Since 2016-17, our sustained investment has enabled
spending to increase by 7% over this period. But do not take it
from me—the Local Government Association said last year:
“This is the biggest year-on-year real terms increase in spending
power for local government in a decade and will allow councils to
meet the rising cost and demand pressures they face in 2020/21.”
(Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)
While the Scottish Government spend 43% more per head on social
care, this Government’s NHS Funding Bill does nothing to address
the £6 billion funding gap in England. Does the Minister accept
that she cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care?
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman that adult social care
and the NHS are indelibly linked. The one must support the other,
and the one drives costs with the other. The over-65 population
is projected to rise over 50% by 2035, so putting social care on
a sustainable footing where everyone is treated with dignity and
respect is one of the biggest challenges we face in society. That
is why it is one of the Prime Minister’s biggest priorities.
Scotland introduced free personal care for the elderly in 2002,
and this has now been extended to those under 65 who need it.
Will the Minister follow the Scottish Government’s lead and
introduce free personal care so that people can live with dignity
in their own homes?
The Prime Minister has set out his plans. He wants to seek
political consensus and bring forward a plan for adult social
care this year, and we are looking at a whole range of solutions,
including free personal care. The issue we see in Scotland is
that the initiative must be backed up with a huge amount of
money. The money that the Scottish Government used to give to
individuals covered around 50% of their care home costs and now
only covers around 25%. That is why we must ensure that we
address this issue with a long-term view.
(Worsley and Eccles
South) (Lab)
It is time to tackle unmet need, which is clear from my hon.
Friends’ questions. Ministers say that they want to seek a
consensus on the future of social care, but we already have a
proposal with wide-ranging support, including from former
Conservative Chancellors in the Lords, major national charities,
and the official Opposition: free personal care funded from
taxation. Will the Minister accept that the way to move things
forward is for the Government to join the existing consensus on
introducing free personal care?
The Prime Minister said that the Government will deliver on our
promises. We will bring forward a plan for social care this year—
When?
This year. However, there are complex questions to address. A
Joint Committee of the Housing, Communities and Local Government
Committee and the Health and Social Care Committee came up with
an entirely different solution—a social insurance model—which
shows why we want to build a consensus. Even the Liberal
Democrats have said that they want to build cross-party
consensus, but we know the hon. Lady’s view on cross-party
consensus: her way or the high way.
(South West Surrey)
(Con)
Given that we will not end the annual cycle of winter crises
until we fix the problems in adult social care, does the Minister
agree that, however important the commitment that people will not
have to sell their home, the absolute priority in any discussions
with the Treasury must be to get more money to local authorities
so that they can discharge their responsibilities to older and
more vulnerable people?
My right hon. Friend did some incredible work in this area when
he was Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. In fact, he
presided over the Department being renamed to draw reference to
the importance of social care. He is absolutely right that we
must ensure that councils have the money they need for the short
term, but we must also work towards a consensus so that everybody
will have safety and security and that nobody will be forced to
sell their home to pay for their care.
(Kettering) (Con)
I declare my interest as a member of Kettering Borough Council.
Taking advantage of imminent local government reorganisation in
Northamptonshire, will the Minister continue to encourage local
councils and the two local hospitals to bring forward innovative
proposals under one budget for an integrated health and social
care pilot in Northamptonshire?
My hon. Friend has already been a really good champion of
collaborative health and social care work. He has made some
excellent suggestions, and we have seen how things such as the
better care fund, through which health and care pool their
resources, can have a positive effect for local communities. I
encourage his local area to look closely at how that sort of work
can be maximised and moved forward.
(Newton
Abbot) (Con)
As the Minister will know, the particular problem in rural areas
is that need is not just unmet, but unseen. What steps has the
Minister taken, or what does she have in mind, to fix the
situation and find that need so that it can be met?
My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to rural sparsity and
the challenges facing rural communities. We are committed to
undertake a review of relative needs and resources, and it will
be a thorough evidence-based review of the costs facing all
authorities, including how factors such as rurality, sparsity and
other geographical features affect the cost of delivering
services across the country and how to account for them in a
robust manner.
(Ruislip, Northwood
and Pinner) (Con)
For the record, I declare my interest as the spouse of an NHS
doctor. The Pinn Medical Centre in my constituency is due to
close its walk-in service so that the Harrow CCG can save money,
but the likely diversion of patients to local A&E services
will end up costing the NHS more. Will the Minister join me in
encouraging the CCG to consider the wider context of NHS budgets
and to support the service while local NHS providers consider how
to increase access to GP appointments in line with our manifesto
commitments?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the importance of access to
primary and community services within Pinner. My right hon.
Friend the Secretary of State will be happy to meet him to
discuss the matter further, but we will support anything he is
doing to assist his local services.
(Hove) (Lab)
3. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for
Housing, Communities and Local Government on providing assistance
to local authorities preparing for the routine commissioning of
PrEP. [900429]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
I have spoken to the relevant Ministers in the Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local Government, and my officials are
working closely with other key stakeholders to ensure that we
deliver routine commissioning of PrEP—pre-exposure prophylaxis—to
help end new HIV transmissions. This is a key interest not only
of many hon. Members but of many broader stakeholders, and I know
the issue is particularly dear to the hon. Member’s heart.
I am grateful for the Minister’s response and for the Secretary
of State’s announcement that he wants routine commissioning of
PrEP by April, but what he and the Department have not done is
spell out how they will achieve it. The PrEP trial will end this
year, and we need a guarantee that every single person who needs
and wants PrEP will get it from April.
I assure the hon. Gentleman that NHS England and NHS Improvement
have already agreed to fund all the ongoing costs of the drugs
for PrEP going forward. We will provide information on how the
other elements of the programme will be funded and how
commissioners will be supported. He is right that the trial ends
in July, but routine commissioning will be rolled out from
April—we will make sure they dovetail. It is hugely important
that PrEP is available for each and every person who wishes to
access it.
(Washington
and Sunderland West) (Lab)
In October last year, the Government confirmed that the local
authority public health grant will increase by 1% in real terms
in 2020-21. However, this funding has not yet been allocated to
local authorities. How will the Government financially support
local authorities to establish the routine commissioning of PrEP
by April?
As I said, NHS England and NHS Improvement have already agreed,
within the ring-fenced funding for public health, to fund the
ongoing costs of drugs for PrEP going forward. There will be an
additional allocation of funds to cover the PrEP roll-out
completely.
NHS: Take-up of New Technology
(Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)
5. What steps he is taking to ensure the take-up of new
technology by the NHS to support effective delivery of its
services. [900431]
(Havant) (Con)
24. What steps he is taking to ensure the take-up of new
technology by the NHS to support effective delivery of its
services. [900451]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
Using the best technology is good for patients, clinicians and
the NHS. Work is under way to drive through the use of new
technology, including electronic referrals and electronic
prescribing, and to end the painfully slow logins in some trusts.
My right hon. Friend will know that the Future Fit programme, if
passed, would have brought not only £312 million but a lot of
innovative, pioneering technology into the county of Shropshire.
Unfortunately, as he knows, the programme has been blocked thus
far by the Labour-controlled, medically illiterate Telford and
Wrekin Council. Does he agree that investing in technology would
help patients and clinicians and would save money in the long
term?
Yes, I do. It is striking how much clinicians working on the
frontline are desperate for improvements in the technology they
use. Our announcement over Christmas that we will have a single
login, which is seemingly so simple, brought enormous enthusiasm
from clinicians who spend hours of their week doing things that
most of us can do with the click of a button on the systems we
use.
My hon. Friend has been an assiduous campaigner for health
investment in Shrewsbury, both physical capital investment and
investment in modern technology.
I welcome the phasing out of outdated technologies, such as fax
machines, in the NHS. As the switch-off date approaches, what
steps is NHS England taking to ensure that patient records can be
transferred electronically between primary and secondary
healthcare providers?
My hon. Friend is spot on. We are driving interoperability so
that the right people can see the right records at the right
time. We will mandate that technology used in the NHS must allow
for such interoperability, and we will set standards.
My hon. Friend started the “axe the fax” campaign, in which I was
happy to play my part. Faxes are terrible for efficiency and for
data security—even straightforward email is so much better—and we
will drive up data security by axing the fax across the NHS.
(Easington) (Lab)
What specific investment is being directed to supporting the 11
new radiotherapy IT networks that are required to provide a
world-class radiotherapy service and improve cancer outcomes and
survivability?
Radiotherapy is a good example of part of the NHS that can
benefit hugely from improved technology now and from the
cutting-edge artificial intelligence-type technologies that are
coming down the track. I am happy to look at any specific
proposals the hon. Gentleman has. We have a broad programme to
support the technology needed in radiotherapy.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
I am disappointed that the Secretary of State could not come to
the opening last Friday of the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre
in my constituency, which is looking at linking research into the
prevention and treatment of chronic diseases with physical
activity, using new technologies including robots. I am pleased
that he has contributed £14 million to this project. He has
missed that opportunity, but may I invite him to come to the
centre and to discuss how he can help to set up a centre for
child health technology, again using innovative and technological
solutions, towards which we will expect his contribution to be
helpful?
The hon. Gentleman is a man after my own heart. I am sorry that I
missed the ribbon cutting, as I love a good ribbon cutting,
especially where the project sounds so brilliant and innovative,
bringing different parts of the NHS together and helping
clinicians in order to help patients. I am glad that he is as
enthusiastic as I am about our £14 million investment.
Health and Social Care (Buckinghamshire)
(Wycombe) (Con)
8. If his Department will fund the digital transformation of
health and social care services in Buckinghamshire; and if he
will make a statement. [900434]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We are driving forward the technology agenda across the NHS, as
we have just been discussing. Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS
Trust is one of the many trusts being considered for digital
aspirant funding, which is the next generation of funding to
bring hospital trusts into the 21st century.
Mr Baker
I am grateful for that, but will the Secretary of State support
moving to devolved, multi-year and unified budgets, to enable the
delivery of digital technology and, in particular, best value,
against specific outcomes?
Yes, my hon. Friend is spot on. We recognise the need for a
multi-year capital settlement in the NHS to support exactly that
sort of planning and to modernise, and the Treasury has confirmed
that we will publish that settlement at the next capital review.
University Hospital of Hartlepool
(Hartlepool) (Lab)
9. What discussions he has had with the Hartlepool and
Stockton-on-Tees clinical commissioning group on the future of
services at the University Hospital of Hartlepool. [900435]
The Minister for Health ()
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no
discussions with the CCG on the future of services at the
University Hospital of Hartlepool.
Hartlepool’s hospital is vital to our community, but its future
very much depends on consultancy-led services. What reassurances
can the Minister give me that consultancy-led services will be
returned to that hospital?
I am conscious that both the energetic Mayor and the hon. Member have
campaigned on working to reinstate accident and emergency and
maternity services at Hartlepool’s hospital. Although there are
currently no plans that I am aware of to change the model of
services, and reconfiguration matters are for the CCG, I am happy
to meet him and the Mayor to discuss the hospital if that is
useful.
(Bishop
Auckland) (Con) rose—
Mr Speaker
This is limited to Hartlepool, so I presume your question is
around that.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. As another north-east MP concerned about
local healthcare, I asked the Prime Minister two weeks ago about
retention of the stroke service at Bishop Auckland Hospital. Has
the Minister made any progress on that point?
My hon. Friend is already a doughty champion and spokesperson in
this House for her constituents on health matters—indeed, she was
just that in yesterday’s Second Reading debate on the NHS Funding
Bill. I am pleased to inform her that my right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State has already met the chief executive of the NHS
and the regional NHS director responsible and discussed this
matter with them.
Life Expectancy
(Jarrow) (Lab)
10. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of
life expectancy. [900436]
(Liverpool, West Derby)
(Lab)
22. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of
life expectancy. [900448]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ( )
Although life expectancy at birth remains the highest it has
been, we want everyone to have the same opportunity to have a
long, healthy life, whoever they are, wherever they live and
whatever their background. We are committed to giving everyone
five extra years of healthy life by 2035, and to addressing the
needs of areas with the poorest health.
Life expectancy advances depend on good local service provision.
Does the Minister agree with me and the people of Jarrow that,
following the devastating closure of St Clare’s Hospice, we
should take all possible steps to ensure that palliative care
provision is put in place urgently in Jarrow constituency? Will
she meet me to discuss this important issue?
Ms Dorries
I am unaware of the closure of that hospice, but my door is open
to the hon. Lady. If she would like to see me at the back of the
Speaker’s Chair after questions, we can arrange a suitable time
to discuss the issue.
Today, a baby girl born in Liverpool can expect to live 13 fewer
years in good health than a baby girl born in Richmond. A new
study from University College London shows that being wealthy
adds nine years to healthy life expectancy. Does the Minister
agree that such health inequalities are an injustice in society
that must urgently be addressed?
Ms Dorries
The best way to improve life expectancy is to prevent health
problems from arising in the first place. Prevention is one of
the top five priorities for the health service, and we are taking
action to help people live longer and healthier lives. The
Government have a proven track record of reducing the harms
caused by obesity, tobacco and other substances. That is where we
need to focus our efforts to ensure that life expectancy rises in
all areas throughout the country.
(Worsley and Eccles
South) (Lab)
The most shocking trend in life expectancy is that people with
learning disabilities die so early—on average 25 years younger
than the general population. We must see action to learn the
lessons from each of those early deaths. The contract for the
University of Bristol’s running of the learning disability
mortality review ends in May, and there is now a growing backlog
of cases, so will the Minister tell the House what the future of
this important review is, and what staff resources are needed to
continue the vital work of reviewing and reporting on early
deaths?
Ms Dorries
We will introduce mandatory training for all health and social
care practitioners. I hope that that will address the particular
problem that the hon. Lady has brought up. It comes back to the
substantial life expectancy issue, which is that regardless of
the group, prevention is key.
(Ashford)
(Con)
In her initial response, the Minister rightly emphasised the
importance of rising healthy life expectancy, as well as life
expectancy more generally. Will she therefore join me in
welcoming the forthcoming report from the all-party group on
longevity—[Interruption.] If the Minister is listening, will she
welcome the report, which will give the Government practical
advice specifically on how to use prevention to raise the levels
of healthy life expectancy?
Ms Dorries
I could not agree more with my right hon. Friend. We want
everyone to have the same opportunity to have a long and healthy
life, whoever they are, wherever they are and whatever their
background. We will certainly look at that report.
(Peterborough) (Con)
I welcome the fact that one theme underpinning the NHS long-term
plan is prevention, to help enable people to live better lives
for longer. Does my hon. Friend agree that supporting people to
make healthier choices, combined with improved screening and
diagnostic services, will help to increase life expectancy?
Ms Dorries
I very much agree, and that is where the Government are directing
their efforts. My hon. Friend mentioned screening; we have put
extra resources into screening and scanners, including in
Peterborough. We are absolutely attacking on screening programmes
and on obesity and tobacco—all those issues that we know affect
life expectancy and cause harms. The Government have made those
issues their top priority.
Health Inequalities
(Kingston upon Hull East)
(Lab)
12. What steps he is taking to reduce health inequalities.
[900438]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
We are determined to address the long-standing inequalities that
exist in many areas, be they in access, outcomes or people’s
experience of their local health service. Our world-leading
childhood obesity plan, NHS health checks, the tobacco control
plan and the diabetes prevention programme all see us leading the
way, but there is undoubtedly more targeted work to do on this
complex issue, particularly in areas of high need.
The recent mental health prevention Green Paper recognised the
link between deprivation and poor mental health outcomes. Along
with the proper funding of frontline and early intervention
services, mental health inequality needs urgent action, so when
will the Minister get to work to sort out this mess? People in
east Hull desperately need access to services that are currently
not available.
I agree with the hon. Member. I and my hon. Friend the Member for
Mid Bedfordshire (Ms Dorries), who has responsibility for the
mental health element of the portfolio, are working hand in glove
on this. Often, it is the dual toxicity of addiction—be it
substance or alcohol abuse—and mental ill health that drives
health inequalities. We are targeting the matter and working
together on access to make sure that we drive down these health
inequalities.
(Chatham and Aylesford)
(Con)
Many people with severe conditions such as agoraphobia face
inequalities in accessing life-saving services such as cervical
smear tests. What is my hon. Friend doing to ensure that these
services can be administered outside a clinical setting, thus
reducing health inequalities for those who, for whatever reason,
are housebound?
No woman should be denied access to vital screening. I believe
that my hon. Friend is referring to a particular matter in her
constituency where it has been very difficult for somebody to
access screening. I am happy to meet her to see how we can work
through this. We are actually working on a home kit for cervical
screening, which should help in time, but nobody should be denied
access. We are committed to improving access for all women, and I
will be happy to meet her to see what we can do.
Primodos
(North Ayrshire and
Arran) (SNP)
13. What recent representations he has received on people
affected by the hormone pregnancy drug, Primodos. [900439]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ( )
Ministers have not received any recent representations. However,
as we know, is leading the
independent medicines and medical devices safety review, which
includes an examination of what happened in the case of Primodos.
Her review has had lengthy engagements with people who have been
affected.
As the Minister is aware, the hormone pregnancy drug test
Primodos was taken by around 1.5 million women in the ‘60s and
‘70s, leading to birth defects, miscarriage and stillbirth, and,
50 years on, those affected still wait for justice. The review
into this scandal, announced in 2018, was very welcome, but can
the Minister confirm that, if it is merited, she is open to
establishing a comprehensive public inquiry following the
publication of the review to ensure justice for those affected?
Ms Dorries
Baroness Cumberlege’s review is examining what happened in the
case of Primodos and will determine what further action is
required. Ministers will consider any recommendations very
carefully. We do not have a date for the publication of the
review, but it will be very soon. Perhaps we can continue the
conversation then.
Accident and Emergency Waiting Times
(Chesterfield) (Lab)
14. What recent assessment he has made of the reasons for the
increase in A&E waiting times. [900440]
(Bradford
East) (Lab)
19. What recent assessment he has made of performance against
waiting time targets for A&E services throughout England.
[900445]
The Minister for Health ()
Winter is the most challenging time of year for our NHS, when
cold weather and an increase in flu cases place additional
pressures on the service. As ever, the NHS staff have done an
amazing job this winter, and the NHS has seen a significant
increase in demand, with 1 million more patients attending
A&E in 2019. The December figures, when compared with those
in 2018, show a 6.5% increase on attendance at A&E.
Mr Perkins
I do not know whether the Minister is aware, but we have a winter
every year. We have had one for the past 71 years, and yet these
are the worst A&E waiting times in history, and they are the
culmination of the policies that his party has followed for the
past nine years: the cuts in social care, the number of GPs
driven out of practices, and this Government’s failure on
prevention. All of that has led us to the worst A&E waiting
times in history, and the Minister’s answer does not start to
look at the failure that he has delivered.
Well, as I pointed out to the hon. Gentleman—he may not have
heard this—demand in A&E has significantly increased this
winter. He asks about GPs. I am sure he fully supports our clear
commitment to 50 million more GP appointments and 6,000 more GPs.
I am sure he also welcomes, in his own constituency, the £19
million investment by this Government in 2017 in a new urgent
treatment centre, which will serve his constituents and is due to
start work this summer.
Between winter 2018 and winter 2019, the proportion of A&E
attendances in Bradford that were seen within the four-hour
target fell by seven percentage points, putting patients at risk
and overstretching already pressured staff. In Health questions
in October last year, I warned the Minister of these very real
dangers, but he refused to meet me even to discuss the matter.
Will he now answer the question as to why further funding was not
made available to stop staff and patients at Bradford Royal
Infirmary being put at risk?
I remind the hon. Gentleman that Bradford treated more people in
A&E this winter than in any previous one, and although he may
have omitted to do so, I want to pay tribute to and thank the
staff at Bradford for that work. The Conservative party is the
party that is investing in our NHS, our A&Es and our staff,
and the hon. Gentleman should welcome that.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab)
I think it is time that we shook this Government out of their
complacency. On their watch, the four-hour A&E waiting target
has never been met, and performance is getting worse each month.
It is no wonder they are putting so much effort into getting rid
of it. We agree with the president of the Royal College of
Emergency Medicine, who said:
“Rather than focus on ways around the target, we need to get back
to the business of delivering on it.”
Does the Minister agree?
First, 1.7 million more people are being seen within the
four-hour target now than before 2010. I hope that the shadow
Minister will acknowledge that that reflects the significant
increase in demand due to the number of people going through the
system. He talks about the review of standards. That is a
clinically-led review, and I am sure he would want to let those
clinicians lead it. We will see what it reports and will consider
its recommendations when they come back to us. In the meantime,
we are getting on with investing in our NHS, and improving
services.
Topical Questions
(Portsmouth
North) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities. [900452]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
As well as working to protect the public from infectious disease
outbreaks, we are working to improve technology and recruit the
workforce that the NHS needs. Figures just out show that we have
record numbers of nurses working in our NHS—up by over 7,800 on
the same time last year.
May I acknowledge the good work done by the Minister for Care, my
hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (), resulting in a
regional breakdown of the transforming care programme? It shows
where progress is not being made, and that the target of 35% of
in-patient beds being closed down will not be met by this March.
How will the Secretary of State shut down these hell-holes, and
will he hold to account commissioners who are still sending
people with learning disabilities to them?
I am really pleased that my right hon. Friend has driven forward,
and is holding us—and, in turn, the NHS—to account for delivery
of this vital agenda; it is incredibly important to get this
right. The number of people with learning disabilities and/or
autism who are in in-patient settings is falling, but not as fast
as I would like. We have a clear commitment in the long-term plan
to bring it down by half. As she says, there is a target to bring
it down by the end of March. The Minister for Care has done a
huge amount of work to drive this forward, and we will do
everything we can to ensure that all these people, who are some
of the most vulnerable in the country, get the best support they
can in the right setting. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s
scrutiny.
(Cambridge) (Lab)
T3. The West Suffolk Hospital has been in the news for all the
wrong reasons. I guess all Members try to keep their fingers on
the pulse of their local hospitals, but does not the fact that
West Suffolk constituents are represented by both the Secretary
of State and the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care, the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds (), show that
something has gone fundamentally wrong in the scrutiny and
oversight of our NHS? What has gone wrong, and what is the
Minister going to do about it? [900454]
The Minister for Health ()
I would not draw that conclusion about my right hon. and hon.
Friends. What I would say, though, is that I want all staff to
feel that they can speak up and have the confidence that anything
they raise will be taken seriously. That is why I requested on 17
January that NHS England and NHS Improvement commission a rapid
and independent review into how the West Suffolk NHS Foundation
Trust has handled this issue. I will be happy to update Members,
including the hon. Gentleman, when that review reports.
(Scunthorpe)
(Con)
T2. Last week, due to ongoing workforce challenges, Northern
Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust temporarily
transferred all oncology services to Grimsby’s hospital. This is
not acceptable to local patients. Will the Secretary of State
join me on a visit to Scunthorpe General Hospital so that we can
discuss this and other issues with local NHS staff? [900453]
I appreciate the concerns raised by my hon. Friend about that
matter. I understand that the changes, which have been made for
patient safety reasons, are temporary, with a review to follow
led by the Humber, Coast and Vale cancer alliance. As we monitor
the results of the review closely—I will continue to take a close
interest in this matter—either I or my right hon. Friend will be
happy to take up her invitation for a visit.
(Liverpool, West Derby)
(Lab)
T8. In my constituency, year-on-year reductions in funding of
both adult and young people’s mental healthcare mean that some of
our most vulnerable citizens are falling through the net. Can the
Government guarantee that adequate funding will be made available
to tackle the mental health crisis now? [900459]
There have been year-on-year increases in funding for mental
health services, but there is also an increase in demand. The
long-term plan has the largest increase reserved for mental
health services, because we want to see mental health and
physical health treated on a par.
(Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)
T4. Labour’s private finance initiative contract means that Royal
Stoke University Hospital is paying double the interest on its
debt than if it had been funded directly from the Treasury—money
that should be going to improve patient care. Will my hon. Friend
agree to look at how these costs can be mitigated? [900455]
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who, along with my other hon.
Friends who represent Stoke, has raised this issue in the past;
they are right to highlight it. My hon. Friend is absolutely
right that Labour’s PFI deal has left the trust burdened with
debt. My Department’s PFI centre of best practice supports trusts
in ensuring best value, and I will happily ask it to work with
him. Yesterday I also committed to meet him and my other hon.
Friends to discuss this matter.
(Tooting) (Lab)
Throughout the election there were empty promises from the
Conservatives, and one of those promises was to tackle the social
care system—but there is still no Green Paper. There are dementia
patients who are trapped in hospital due to an inadequate social
care system, and yet this Government still do nothing. How many
more families have to suffer before this Government act?
The Government will deliver on all of our manifesto commitments.
(Sefton
Central) (Lab)
In Maghull, Formby and Crosby in my constituency, the health
facilities are simply not fit for purpose. Significant house
building will only make matters worse and make it that much
harder for the Secretary of State to deliver on the promises he
set out earlier in today’s Question Time. Will he meet me to
discuss how to get the funding so that we have the
state-of-the-art, high-quality facilities that my constituents
and medical staff need?
I spent much of the latter part of last year travelling around
the hon. Gentleman’s part of the world and meeting then
candidates. I am very happy to meet him to see how we can use the
record levels of capital investment in our NHS—the record levels
of funding that he should support—to support his constituents as
well as everybody else’s.
(High Peak) (Con)
T5. Tameside Hospital A&E has seen a huge increase in patient
numbers, often leading to overcrowding, with patients being
assessed and treated in unsuitable areas. The Government have
rightly responded by committing to building a new urgent care
centre for Tameside. Will the Secretary of State update the House
on when construction is due to begin? [900456]
We want to begin construction urgently. My hon. Friend has been
assiduous in promoting and supporting this project, which he has
raised with me a number of times. I look forward to meeting him
in the next week or so to go through the details of when we can
see it open.
(Burnley)
(Con)
T6. My right hon. Friend will know that the A&E services at
Burnley General Hospital were closed in 2007 by the then Labour
Administration. Given our record investment in the NHS, and the
pressures on the A&E, will he agree to meet me to talk
through the future of the hospital and the services we can
provide locally? [900457]
My hon. Friend, like his colleagues, has already proved himself
to be a doughty champion for his constituency. The urgent care
centre at Burnley General Hospital will continue to play an
important role in meeting urgent care needs locally, but he is
right to highlight the broader importance of Burnley as part of
the health ecosystem in his area. I would be delighted to meet
him.
(Hackney South
and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)
There are real concerns in east London about the big delays in
the breast cancer screening programme, meaning that many women
are not getting their first screening until close to their 53rd
birthday. Will the Minister meet me and other concerned east
London MPs to ensure that we tackle that, to the benefit of our
constituents?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
I would be delighted to meet the hon. Lady and other east London
MPs. Mike Richards has done a review of screening, and we need to
level up and ensure that everybody can access screening.
(Vale of Clwyd) (Con)
T7. In December, more than 2,200 patients waited in excess of 12
hours in A&E departments in north Wales. What is the
Secretary of State’s response to the Welsh Government, who have
managed the health board in special measures for nearly five
years? [R] [900458]
I worry about the delivery of health services to people in Wales.
Although this issue is devolved, I am the UK Health Minister, and
my hon. Friend is right to raise that issue for his constituents.
The number of people waiting more than one year in Wales is over
4,000. In England, despite the much larger population, it is only
just over 1,000. The Welsh NHS, frankly, is an advert for why
people should not want the Labour party running the NHS.
(Twickenham) (LD)
A number of women in my constituency have recently been in touch
who are going through the menopause and struggling to access
hormone replacement therapy, which they really need. What
assessment has the Secretary of State made of current supplies of
HRT, and what is he doing to address the shortages?
That is obviously an incredibly important issue. The shortages
come from problems with factories outside the UK. We have been
working hard on it through the autumn. I am advised that the
shortages are starting to be mitigated and that production is
back up and running, but we keep a close eye on it, because I
understand how important it is.
(Ruislip, Northwood
and Pinner) (Con)
T9. Will my hon. Friend commit to working with me to secure the
long-term future of hospice services in any reorganisation of the
Mount Vernon Hospital site in my constituency? [900460]
The Minister for Care ()
We are very committed to hospice services, which is why an
additional £25 million went into hospices last year. I am
certainly happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the hospices in
his area.
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op)
Cuts to local government budgets have led to cuts to public
health budgets, which have led to cuts to preventive services,
which have led to greater demand in A&E and social care. It
is bad for individuals, and it is terrible for the health and
social care system, yet this weekend, we saw media reports that
there are more cuts coming to local government, especially in the
poorest communities. Can the Secretary of State assure us that he
will tell colleagues in the Treasury and the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government that those cuts cannot take
place?
I do not need to, because we are clear that there is an increase
in the spending power of local authorities and in the public
health grant.
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
T10. Last week was Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. Will my hon.
Friend join me in commending the work of my constituent Maria
Dullaghan and the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which
campaigns to raise awareness? Will she underline the Government’s
support for Sir Mike Richards’s review of the adult screening
programme? [900461]
I am delighted to join my right hon. Friend in congratulating
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust on the work it does. I had the
pleasure of meeting its team only last week, who do fantastic
work to raise awareness of vital cervical screening. He is right
about Mike Richards’s review. We must ensure that we screen all
the available population in order to see cervical cancer
eliminated for good, which would be brilliant. I am delighted to
support this year’s “Smear for smear” campaign. There is nothing
shameful about human papillomavirus, and we must bust the myths,
because being tested can save someone’s life.
(Canterbury) (Lab)
Following the desperately upsetting news headlines last week
about preventable baby deaths at East Kent, including that of
Harry Richford, aged just seven days old, whose death was
described by the coroner as “wholly avoidable”, will the
Secretary of State join me and Harry’s family in calling for a
full, transparent public inquiry?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ( )
I thank the hon. Lady for raising this issue, and also my hon.
Friend the Member for Dover (Mrs Elphicke), who made an excellent
speech last night about this very issue at East Kent. I would
like to reassure the hon. Lady that the Care Quality Commission
conducted a further investigation of the whole trust last week
and will take enforcement action if necessary. On Monday, I asked
it to provide a summary report within 14 days. The Healthcare
Safety Investigation Branch has examined 26 individual maternity
cases at the trust, and it has already reported on 15. It was
also asked on Monday to complete its work within 14 days and to
send in a summary report to give us further information.
(Chelsea and Fulham)
(Con)
The Secretary of State will know that my local Labour party has
been running an outrageous campaign saying that the Parsons Green
walk-in centre is set to close. The clinical commissioning group
has confirmed that that is not the case, and the facility is both
busy and popular. Will he join me in condemning this latest scare
tactic from my local Labour party about local NHS facilities that
are both popular and well used?
That is absolutely right. Last year, my right hon. Friend
campaigned for and secured the long-term future of the Parsons
Green walk-in centre. That announcement was made, and then the
scaremongering carried on, supported by the local Labour party
and the hon. Member for Hammersmith (), who is a
disgrace in the way he campaigns because it worries vulnerable
people who think that things are going to close. I pay tribute to
my right hon. Friend and send a message to people far and wide in
Parsons Green that their walk-in centre is staying open.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. I am sure the Secretary of State would acknowledge that I
am trying to get the last few questions in, and I think we can
speed up rather than trying to make any last final points.
(Barnsley East)
(Lab)
May I ask the Secretary of State what screening plans are in
place for those arriving in the UK from China, and has a
contingency fund been established to tackle the potential effects
of the coronavirus?
Of course, it is incredibly important that we have appropriate
measures in place for those who return from China—not only those
returning from outside Wuhan, but those returning from Wuhan
should they do so. Those are being put in place, and of course we
are making budgets available to ensure that all support necessary
is given.
