Urgent and Emergency Care: Growing Towns Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)
1. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of
urgent and emergency care provision in towns with significant
population growth. (905207) The Minister for Health and Secondary
Care (Will Quince) Our recovery plan for urgent and emergency care
provides £1 billion of additional funding for NHS capacity,
alongside £250 million for capital improvement schemes up and down
the country....Request free trial
Urgent and Emergency Care: Growing Towns
(Rugby) (Con)
1. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of
urgent and emergency care provision in towns with significant
population growth. (905207)
The Minister for Health and Secondary Care ()
Our recovery plan for urgent and emergency care provides £1
billion of additional funding for NHS capacity, alongside £250
million for capital improvement schemes up and down the country.
Local integrated care boards are now responsible for working with
their partners to decide how best to use that funding to improve
services to meet the health needs of their changing populations,
and all integrated care boards will shortly set out their plans
for the next five years through a joint forward plan process.
Rugby is the largest urban area within Coventry and Warwickshire
that does not have its own A&E provision. In the wider
region, Kettering, Shrewsbury, Redditch and Burton upon Trent all
have similar or smaller populations, each with their own A&E
services. Rugby is growing fast, with 12,500 homes being
delivered between 2016 and 2031, when the population will exceed
135,000. Will the Minister say at what population level it will
be appropriate for local health commissioners to upgrade the
A&E provision at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby?
As my hon. Friend knows, the provision of services, including
accident and emergency, are a matter for local NHS commissioners
and providers. I know that he regularly meets local NHS leaders
about this matter and will continue to do so. I am very happy to
meet him and, of course, visit. Funding for Coventry and
Warwickshire Integrated Care Board has increased to over £1.6
billion this year. My hon. Friend is a huge champion for his
constituents; I would be happy to meet and visit.
(Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
The population of my constituency is due to grow rapidly over the
next 10 years and beyond. On that basis, can the Minister give a
completion date for the new Whipps Cross Hospital, which was
announced last week?
By 2030, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker
And obviously we want 24-hour provision in Chorley, which has the
fastest-growing population, but let us move on.
Complex Mental Health Needs: Young People
(Chesham and Amersham) (LD)
2. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the treatment
and care available for young people with complex mental health
needs. (905208)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We have recruited an extra 4,500 NHS children’s mental health
specialists, which is a 40% increase on 2019. That is part of our
additional £2.3 billion of investment into mental health
services, compared to four years ago.
Earlier this year, I was contacted by a mother who told me how
her daughter, who has been both autistic and anorexic, has been
receiving treatment since she was 13. Sadly, her condition has
significantly deteriorated in that time, and it is her firm
belief that closer integration of the different services she was
accessing would have resulted in much better outcomes for her
daughter. Will the Secretary of State consider a review of mental
health services for children and young people, to look at how to
better integrate services and ensure continuity of care?
I am sure the whole House is sorry to hear that her constituent’s
condition has deteriorated. The hon. Lady raises a very important
point about integration, which is exactly the right approach. The
2022 reforms were about integrating health and social care and
empowering commissioners to take a more integrated place-based
approach. I am sure her local commissioners will take note of the
valid point that she raises.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister for mental health.
(Tooting) (Lab)
A 14-year old climbing out of hospital windows; a child
absconding to a local railway station; a teenager with complex
needs brought to A&E, requiring four police officers to spend
an entire shift watching them, only for them to abscond the next
day. There is a pattern here. At almost every step of the way,
children needing mental health services face a perfect storm of
delay and treatment in inappropriate settings, fuelled by an
under-resourced service with over-stretched staff. In light of
the Met’s announcement that they will stop attending emergency
mental health calls, is it not time for the Government to get
their act together, or simply do the right thing and step
aside?
One can see the way the Government are responding constructively
to these issues by looking at the pilots we have been rolling out
in Humberside, where police are released within one hour in 80%
of section 136 detentions. We intend to roll out that pilot
nationally.
The hon. Lady is right on the first part of her challenge, as
demand for mental health services is increasing. In fact, there
was a 41% increase in new referrals to mental health services in
2021 compared to the previous year. Where she is wrong is on the
resourcing. She missed my previous answer that set out how we are
committing an extra £2.3 billion of investment into mental health
services, compared to four years ago.
Notices of Decision for Care Homes: Change of Ownership
(Coventry North West)
(Lab)
3. Whether he is taking steps to ensure that notices of decision
for care homes do not lapse upon a change of ownership unless
standards improve. (905209)
The Minister for Social Care ()
When a care home is taken over, the Care Quality Commission
assesses and re-rates it under its new ownership. Previous
notices of decision cannot legally be passed to a new provider,
but they do inform the CQC’s approach to an assessment and how
soon it takes place. During the time between the takeover and the
CQC’s carrying out a new assessment, the legacy rating is shown
on the CQC website.
My constituents Brenda, Gary and Trina lost their parents after
they were placed in Melbourne House care home, which the CQC
later deemed to be “inadequate”. However, because the notice of
decision lapsed on its transfer to the original owner’s family,
the home, now known as Earlsdon Lodge, is able to operate as if
nothing had happened. Will the Minister meet my constituents and
me to explain exactly why that was allowed to happen, and what is
being done to prevent it from happening to other families?
I shall be happy to meet the hon. Member to look into that case,
because I feel strongly about the importance of ensuring that
everyone has access to good, if not outstanding, care in care
homes.
Sun Protection Products: Affordability
(Gordon) (SNP)
4. If he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the
potential impact of increasing the affordability of sun
protection products on levels of skin cancer. (905210)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
Last month was melanoma month and skin cancer month, and people
are increasingly aware of the risks of excessive sun exposure
without protection. Through the energy price guarantee and our
direct support for vulnerable households, we have provided cost
of living help worth, on average, £3,300 per household.
Since the early 1990s cases of skin cancer have doubled, with
nearly 16,000 new cases diagnosed each year leading to 2,300
avoidable deaths annually. If some products were more affordable,
more of our constituents might be able to use them and bring
those numbers down. Will the ministerial team make
representations to their Treasury colleagues about the Sun
Protection Products (Value Added Tax) Bill, a private Member’s
Bill promoted by my hon. Friend the Member for East
Dunbartonshire () which would remove VAT from
some sun protection products, so that we can start to make an
impact on those appalling figures?
Neil O’Brien
As the hon. Gentleman knows, tax matters are for the Treasury,
but we are absolutely committed to providing cost of living
support. By the end of June the Government will have covered
nearly half a typical household’s energy bill since October, so
we are providing one of the most generous packages in Europe.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
(SNP)
The last time I asked Ministers whether they would support that
Bill I was told that the issue of VAT and skin cancer was a
matter for the Treasury, and we have just heard a similar answer.
Surely this is a matter for joined-up government. What are
Ministers doing—instead of imposing more pressure and costs on
the NHS—to persuade their Treasury colleagues to consider more
cost-effective cost preventive measures such as making skin
protection products more affordable?
Neil O’Brien
The hon. Gentleman is campaigning for a reduction in the VAT on
suncream, but let me put this into perspective. As I have said,
our cost of living support is worth, on average, £3,300 per
household. That is help on a huge scale. On cancer we are taking
more action across the piece, and more people are being given
life-saving checks, referrals and treatment than before.
Cancer Waiting Times and Outcomes
(Blackburn) (Lab)
5. What steps he is taking to improve cancer waiting times and
outcomes. (905211)
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
7. What steps he is taking to improve cancer waiting times and
outcomes. (905213)
(Scunthorpe) (Con)
16. What progress his Department has made on improving cancer
survival rates. (905224)
(North Tyneside) (Lab)
19. What steps he is taking to improve cancer waiting times and
outcomes. (905227)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We are diagnosing and treating patients faster. In March, nearly
three in four people were diagnosed or given the all-clear within
two weeks—ahead of the 28-day target—and nine in 10 patients
start treatment within a month.
In May last year I wrote to the then Health Secretary and the
Prime Minister about the case of a young man in my constituency,
Elliott Simpson, who was misdiagnosed with a water wart in a
telephone consultation with a GP. When Elliott was finally able
to see someone face-to-face, he found that he had late-stage skin
cancer. He passed away on 28 April, aged just 27.
Between January and March this year, both the two-week wait
target and the 62-day target were missed at East Lancashire
Hospitals NHS Trust. Does the Secretary of State accept that
delays are costing lives?
The whole House will be hugely saddened to learn of the passing
of Elliott, especially at such a tender age.
The hon. Lady is right to highlight the importance of speedy
diagnosis, and I was pleased that we met the faster diagnosis
standard in February for the first time and again in March, with
three in four patients receiving their diagnosis within two weeks
and nine in 10 starting treatment within a month. She is also
right to point out that there is still variation between trusts,
and we are focusing on that in particular, but it is good that
nationally we are hitting the faster diagnosis standard.
Mr Betts
When I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma six years ago, my GP
gave me two pieces of advice: keep positive and keep active. The
other day, I visited the wellbeing centre in my constituency,
which is run by Sheffield Hallam University, the Sheffield
Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Yorkshire Cancer
Research. It is putting on a programme called Active Together to
which people who are diagnosed with cancer can be referred by
their consultant and have a bespoke programme of treatment
involving physical activity, nutrition and psychological support
to prepare them for surgery, and a programme after surgery to
help them recover. Would the Secretary of State like to come to
my constituency to visit this novel and innovative programme to
see how it could be rolled out across the country and treat more
cancers well in this way?
The hon. Gentleman raises an interesting and important point. How
we better equip patients pre-surgery and post-surgery, how we
look at their wellbeing—the keep positive bit and the social
prescribing—and how we think about being active are all are
hugely important. I would be keen to learn more about the
programme that he highlights and for either me or one of the
ministerial team to follow up on his offer.
In March, the all-party parliamentary group on brain tumours
published its report into research funding, which found that only
about £15 million of the £40 million pledged has made its way
into the hands of the researchers. Can the Secretary of State set
out what we can do to fix these challenges in the funding system
so that we can get that money into the hands of the researchers
and improve those outcomes?
I welcome the fact that my hon. Friend has raised this point,
because the £40 million of funding is available. That money is
there, ready to allocate to quality bids. All the bids that have
met the National Institute for Health and Care Research standard
have been funded, but she is right to say that there is more
money available and we stand ready to work with researchers to
get that money allocated as soon as those quality bids come
in.
Analysis by Cancer Research UK projects that, by 2040, cancer
cases will rise to over half a million new cases a year. Will the
Secretary of State confirm when the NHS long-term workforce plan
will be published, that it will set out transparent projections
for workforce need for the next five, 10 and 15 years, and that
it will be fully funded to ensure that there are enough staff to
deliver timely diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients?
The hon. Lady is correct to say that demand for cancer services
is increasing. We have seen demand up a fifth recently. That is
why, alongside the long-term workforce plan, to which we are
committed—the Chancellor set out that commitment in the autumn
statement—we are also putting over £5 billion of investment into
diagnostic centres, surgical hubs and equipment in order to
better provide, alongside the workforce, the skills and equipment
we need to treat cancer.
(Basildon and Billericay)
(Con)
What assurance can the Secretary of State give that both the
letter and the spirit of section 5 of the Health and Care Act
2022 will be embraced to encourage the NHS to improve early
diagnosis and therefore cancer survival rates by focusing on
outcome measures such as the one-year survival rate, so that we
can start catching up with international averages when it comes
to survival?
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has long championed this
issue. Indeed, he secured an amendment to the Health and Care Act
as part of that campaign. We will be fulfilling our obligation by
including an objective on cancer outcomes when we publish the
next mandate to NHS England, and I hope he will see that as a
welcome step.
(Erewash) (Con)
To improve cancer waiting times and outcomes, and learning from
the success of the covid vaccine roll-out where hard-to-reach
cohorts were vaccinated in everyday settings such as shopping
centres and football stadiums, will my right hon. Friend look at
locating more community diagnostic centres away from formal
clinical settings in hospitals and taking them out into the
community?
This is an innovative and exciting development, thinking about
how we offer services in different ways and bring those services
to patients much more locally. The community diagnostic centres
are a huge step forward in that, but we should also be looking at
our engagement with employers, at how we use more tests at home
and at the successes we have had, for example, with some of the
screening programmes in order to offer more services closer to
patients.
Sir (Rhondda) (Lab)
The figures on diagnosing people with cancer are certainly
improving, but what is getting worse, and has got significantly
worse in the last three months, is the starting of treatment for
people who definitely have cancer. The figures are now the worst
on record, with 19,000 people waiting for treatment, and all the
evidence suggests that waiting another week adds 10% to the
likelihood of death. Can I please urge the Minister not always to
give the rosy, good statistics but to face up to the fact that
there are real dangers in the statistics, too?
I know the hon. Gentleman takes a very close interest in this,
and we can all see that there is a shared desire to meet the
increasing demand. He recognises the progress on diagnostics.
Nine in 10 patients are starting treatment within a month, and
the all cancer survival index for England is steadily increasing,
but I agree that there is much more still to do, which is why we
are investing in diagnostic centres, surgical hubs and the
long-term workforce plan. I am very happy to continue working
with him and other colleagues as we meet this ongoing
challenge.
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
Does the Minister agree that one of the ways we can improve
cancer care and outcomes is by supporting brilliant charities
such as Chemocare Bags? Emma Hart and her team do an outstanding
job of putting together bags, which include fluffy socks, puzzle
books, colouring books, mints and lip salve, for those starting
chemotherapy at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
I am very happy to join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to all
those who support Chemocare Bags for the fantastic work they do.
That sort of support makes a real difference to patients, and the
NHS benefits hugely from the work of volunteers, including those
at Chemocare Bags.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
As my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda (Sir ) pointed out, the brutal truth
is that the Tories have consistently missed England’s cancer
treatment target since 2013. Last year, 66,000 cancer patients
waited more than two months for their first treatment following
an urgent GP referral, and the UK now has the worst cancer
survival rate in the G7. Labour will give the NHS the staff, the
technology and the reform it needs, and we make no apologies for
expecting cancer waiting times and diagnosis targets to be met
once again. That is our mission. Why is theirs so
unambitious?
We are making significant progress. The hon. Gentleman
specifically mentions GP referrals, and there were more than
11,000 urgent GP referrals for suspected cancer per working day
in March 2023, compared with just under 9,500 in March 2019, so
we are seeing more patients.
Let me give an indication of how we are innovating on cancer. We
have doubled the number of community lung trucks, which means the
detection of lung cancer at stages 1 and 2 is up by a third in
areas with the highest smoking rates. In the most deprived areas,
we are detecting cancer much sooner, and survival rates are, in
turn, showing a marked improvement.
Healthcare for Women
(Bradford South) (Lab)
6. What steps he is taking to improve healthcare for women.
(905212)
(Luton North) (Lab)
14. What steps he is taking to improve healthcare for women.
(905221)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
This is the first Government to produce a women’s health strategy
in England. We are making huge progress on the eight priorities
in our first year, from introducing the hormone replacement
therapy pre-payment certificate, which is reducing the cost of
HRT for women, to the £25 million roll-out of women’s health hubs
across the country. We will be announcing our second-year
priorities in due course.
Half of all women over 50 will experience bone fractures due to
osteoporosis, and many of these will be serious hip fractures. As
many women will die from these fractures as from lung cancer or
diabetes. Can the Minister explain why not even one of the 63 key
performance indicators set by NHS England for integrated care
boards sets a target for fracture prevention?
I thank the hon. Lady for her work in this space. She is
campaigning hard on this issue. I reassure her that osteoporosis
is in the women’s health strategy and is a priority area for us.
We are already working to make sure that women’s vitamin D status
is known, and to make sure that we fill gaps. NHS England is
expanding fracture services for high-risk women with
osteoporosis, and it is working to prevent falls. The women’s
health ambassador is raising the profile of osteoporosis so that
women who are at higher risk can take action to prevent fractures
and falls in the first place.
Women too often struggle with needless pain through standard but
invasive procedures, such as hysteroscopies and intrauterine
device fittings, offered without any pain relief. Our pain is
being misunderstood and ignored. How much unnecessary pain must
Ministers see women endure before the Government finally deliver
on the pain management promised in the women’s health strategy?
And why is this a 10-year ambition instead of a more immediate
one?
I thank the hon. Lady for her question, and let me also pay
tribute to the hon. Member for West Ham (Ms Brown), who has
campaigned hard in this space. I met a group of women to discuss
painful hysteroscopies just a few weeks ago. This is a priority
in the women’s health strategy, as the hon. Member for Luton
North () said. We are working with the
royal college to update its guidelines, because a lot of these
issues are associated with women’s consent, the provision of
information before these procedures, and women knowing that they
can have them under a local or general anaesthetic and can also
ask for pain control. This is not working in practice, which is
why it is a priority in the women’s health strategy.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Select Committee.
(Winchester) (Con)
Women living with HIV of course have the right to healthcare on
the same terms as anyone else, except that now they do not when
it comes to starting a family. Many people living with HIV are
currently excluded from accessing fertility treatment, both by
law and by the Government’s microbiological safety guidelines. So
will the Government now follow the scientific evidence,
particularly on undetectable viral load, and remove what are
surely discriminatory restrictions on the basis of HIV
status?
I thank the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee for his
question, as he raises an important point. Last year, we asked
the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs
to reconsider this specific issue. It set up a working group in
June last year to look at it and we expect its recommendations
this month. We will take them seriously and address them swiftly
once we have its advice.
(Stroud) (Con)
So many women’s health issues begin with birth and pregnancy, as
health is often dependent on the care and aftercare that women
receive. Will my hon. Friend give the House an update on the
recruitment of midwives and maternity teams, as Gloucestershire
NHS is working so hard on that, in order to fully reopen Stroud
Maternity Hospital?
I thank my hon. Friend, who does a huge amount of work supporting
her local midwives in Stroud. I can give her encouraging news:
not only have we spent £190 million on midwifery services, but we
are seeing an increased number of midwives coming through
midwifery training. Excitingly, we have a nurse conversion
course, which takes 18 months, with NHS England paying the
tuition fees for nurses to convert to being midwives. We have had
300 in training this year and we are expanding that to 500 in the
next academic year. We have encouraging retention rates too,
which show that midwives are not only joining the profession, but
staying in it.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Leicester West) (Lab)
There is a particular group of women whose health needs should be
highlighted during Carers Week: women who look after an older or
disabled relative. The majority of unpaid carers in their 50s and
60s are women. Eight million unpaid carers have seen their own
health suffer, with those providing high levels of care twice as
likely to have poor health as people without caring
responsibilities. So will the Minister finally commit to a
cross-Government national carers strategy, including health
issues in it, as the last Labour Government did? That is a key
demand during this year’s Carers Week.
I thank the shadow Minister for her question. My colleague the
Minister for Social Care is hosting an event today for carers,
and £300 million for carers in the better care fund has also been
released. I am a carer for my dad, who thankfully is well and
spritely, so I understand the pressures of this. Recently, I met
carers from Kinship; often they are grandparents, and older aunts
and uncles, who look after young children. Work is going on
between us and the Department for Education on how we can better
support kinship carers, who do fantastic work in looking after
young children. We fully recognise the issue, and the Social Care
Minister is not just providing funding, but meeting those carers
to see how we can better support them.
Arthritis: Treatment Waiting Times
(Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
(Lab)
8. What steps he is taking to improve the health of patients with
arthritis awaiting NHS treatment.(905214)
The Minister for Social Care ()
NHS England has drawn on the work of Versus Arthritis, including
its joint replacement support package, in the resources it
provides to support people waiting for hip and knee replacements.
Alongside that, we know that what people really want is faster
treatment. That is why we are working so hard to cut waiting
lists, which is one of the Prime Minister’s five key
priorities.
I am glad that the Minister referenced Versus Arthritis, because
it does great work, but it has significant concerns about the
waits for treatment for people living with arthritis. While
recognising the efforts of hard-working NHS staff, there are more
than 800,000 people in England waiting for trauma and orthopaedic
treatment, including more than 5,500 Southwark constituents
waiting for treatment at Guy’s and St Tommy’s hospitals. Will the
Minister meet staff from Versus Arthritis specifically to discuss
how to better support people waiting for those treatments?
As the hon. Member said, Versus Arthritis is doing really
important work not only supporting people with arthritis while
they wait for treatment, but better preparing them for surgery.
What is really important, as I said a moment ago, is reducing
those waits and the work that we are doing on that. We have
already virtually eliminated two-year waits, and 18-month waits
have been reduced by more than 90%, which is quite a contrast, we
know, to the performance of the Labour-run NHS in Wales. I
encourage Versus Arthritis to contribute to our call for evidence
on the major conditions strategy where we are looking at what
more we can do to support people with, among other things,
muscular skeletal conditions.
Primary Health Care Facility: East Sefton
(Sefton Central) (Lab)
9. Whether he plans to provide funding for a new primary health
care facility in East Sefton.(905215)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
The Government are providing record levels of capital to the NHS,
with more than £24 billion allocated between 2022-23 and 2024-25,
over £12 billion of which is allocated to integrated care boards
themselves to invest in local priorities, including primary care
facilities, of which just under £700 million has been allocated
to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board.
The Minister has just reminded us that the allocations are made
by Government to integrated care boards. The problem is that,
with a board the size of Cheshire and Merseyside, there are very
many competing priorities. Sefton Council has secured more than
£1 million from developers for a new health centre in East
Sefton. The Health Secretary’s recent predecessors, of which
there have been many, have agreed with me that a new health
centre there is a priority. Will he and his colleagues match the
priority accorded to this by their predecessors, match the
ambition of my constituents and support the commitment by Sefton
Council and award that additional funding, so that my
constituents can get that much-needed health centre in East
Sefton?
Neil O’Brien
The hon. Member has been campaigning doggedly for this for
several years, and I am sure that his local ICB will be strongly
seized of that and the strong arguments for it. He raised the
issue of developer contributions. One thing that we have done in
the most recent primary care recovery plan is set further steps
to increase investment from developer contributions so that we
match new housing with the much-needed infrastructure, such as
primary care facilities.
GP Appointments
(Sittingbourne and
Sheppey) (Con)
10. What progress his Department has made on increasing the
number of available GP appointments.(905216)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O'Brien)
We are taking action to increase the workforce in general
practice. We have managed to hit our target of recruiting 26,000
extra clinicians a year earlier. In fact, we have 29,000 extra
clinicians in GP surgeries as well as nearly 2,000 more doctors.
Of course, we will go further: as well as increasing the training
of GPs to a record level—up from about 2,600 to 4,000 a year—we
are also taking action to improve technology to take the burden
of bureaucracy off GPs through our primary care recovery
plan.
Although I appreciate the Minister’s response, Sittingbourne and
Sheppey still has one of the highest patient to GP ratios in the
country. Without more GPs, no initiative to increase appointments
will succeed. Our local integrated care board is doing its best
to bring more doctors to our area. What help can my hon. Friend
give to the ICBs so that they can provide my constituents with
the GPs they need?
Neil O’Brien
My hon. Friend is quite right that we absolutely need to go
further. That is why, through the primary care recovery plan, we
are taking some of the pressure off general practice, investing
£645 million in the new Pharmacy First service, which will free
up about 10 million GP appointments a year. That is why we are
investing about £60,000 per practice in new IT and modern online
systems. None the less, he is totally right: we need those
doctors in general practice. We have about 2,000 more now than we
did in 2019, but we will go further. We have already increased GP
training and we are looking at building on that further.
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
Can the Minister clarify when Oldham will receive its share of
the 6,000 additional GPs that were promised in the Conservative
2019 general election manifesto? Today we are running with fewer
GPs, and that is not helpful to anyone.
Neil O’Brien
I have already noted that we have increased the number of doctors
in general practice by nearly 2,000 since 2019 alone. The number
of direct patient-facing staff in general practice is 50% higher
in total than in 2019, and that is up right across the country.
However, of course we will go further and grow the number of
clinicians in general practice, building on what we have already
done.
(Boston and Skegness)
(Con)
The primary care recovery plan includes excellent measures to
extend visas for international medical graduates, but can my hon.
Friend say whether that extension will be automatic, answering
the concerns of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and
whether it will be in place for the 1,000 or so graduates coming
this June and August?
Neil O’Brien
My hon. Friend modestly does not mention his role in advocating
for that important reform, which will help to increase the number
of highly qualified GPs coming from other countries to work in
the NHS. We will ensure that that extension is automatic, so that
people have extra time to make sure they get the right placement
in general practice.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
There was a net loss of 577 full-time equivalent GPs last year. A
contributing factor in rural communities was the Government’s
decision a few years ago to remove the minimum practice income
guarantee, making it unsustainable for small surgeries—and many
rural surgeries are necessarily small—to survive. Will the
Minister consider whether it is time to reintroduce a strategic
small surgeries fund, to allow smaller rural surgeries in
communities such as mine to survive and thrive?
Neil O’Brien
The funding formula already takes account of rurality. I hear the
hon. Gentleman’s argument, but it is worth noting that our GPs
are doing more than ever before. In the year to April there were
nearly 10% more appointments than before the pandemic, or 20 more
appointments in every GP practice per working day. GPs are
working incredibly hard, as well as putting in extra staff, and I
pay tribute to them for the sheer amount of work they are
doing.
(Peterborough) (Con)
The Minister recently joined me at the Thistlemoor medical centre
at the heart of my constituency. Led by the inspirational Modha
family, the team prioritise making face-to-face appointments
available for patients by having amazing admin and support staff
who speak a variety of languages. That means that, by the time
the patient sees the GP, all the relevant checks have been done
and the GP has all the relevant information. How can we better
use admin and support staff at GP surgeries so that doctors can
maximise their time and operate at the very top of their
licences?
Neil O’Brien
It was an absolute pleasure to meet the Modha family and see the
inspirational work happening in my hon. Friend’s constituency. In
our primary care recovery plan we are learning some lessons from
that work, particularly about focusing GPs’ time on the jobs only
they can do—hence the investment in the extra 29,000 additional
roles reimbursement scheme staff, the detailed plan in the
primary care recovery plan to improve communication between
hospitals and GPs, the cutting back of unnecessary bureaucracy,
and the freeing up of resources by simplifying the investment and
impact fund and the quality and outcomes framework. It is
brilliant to learn from the inspirational work happening in his
constituency.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
Recent research from the Nuffield Trust shows that Brexit—a
Brexit supported by both the Government and the Labour party, it
has to be said—has worsened the shortage of NHS staff across the
UK. Indeed, it has led to more than 4,000 European doctors
choosing not to work in the national health services across the
UK, due to higher costs, increased bureaucracy and uncertainty
over visas. Can the Minister tell me whether that is one of the
success stories of Brexit that we keep hearing about?
Neil O’Brien
International recruitment is up. In fact, we have 38,000 more
doctors and 54,000 more nurses in the NHS than in 2010. In
England at least, we are taking every step we can to draw on that
international talent and we are using it to grow staffing in the
NHS.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Bristol South) (Lab)
From Sittingbourne via Bristol and Oldham, people are fed up with
not being able to speak with a GP when they need to. GPs are
warning that rising demand and increased costs may lead to
workforce cuts or even closures. They are fed up with the
bamboozling of numbers—more of which we have heard this
morning—whether on GPs, full-time trainees, locums and now
appointments. Whatever the metric, can the Secretary of State or
the Minister tell us how many more GPs or GP appointments they
think are necessary for people to access the care that they
need?
Neil O’Brien
We committed in our manifesto to increasing the number and
availability of appointments by 50 million. We are well on our
way to meeting that target, as I have mentioned—we had 10% more
appointments in the year to April than in the year before the
pandemic. That is the result of the additional staffing that we
are putting in: the extra 29,000 other clinicians and the nearly
2,000 more doctors in general practice. We have made that
investment, but the reason why GPs are doing more appointments is
not just that we have provided a fifth more funding since 2017 up
to 2021; it is also that GP teams are working incredibly hard,
and I pay tribute to them for all they are doing.
New Hospitals and Health Centres: Funding
(Thornbury and Yate) (Con)
11. What steps he is taking to provide funding for new hospitals
and health centres.(905217)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We are investing record sums in the NHS estate, with more than
£20 billion in the largest hospital building programme and, in
addition, a further £1 billion to put an extra 5,000 bed capacity
into NHS trusts, and more than £5 billion as part of our elective
recovery plan, including for diagnostic centres and new surgical
hubs.
The Secretary of State is aware of the £30 million bid that we
have submitted to redevelop Thornbury health centre. That new
facility would provide GP appointments, more out-patient
services, more mental health support and a proactive frailty hub
to keep elderly residents in their homes for longer with the
support that they need. Thornbury is a growing town and it
desperately needs the new facility. Can the Secretary of State
update me on the timescales for the outcome of our bid, and will
he meet me to discuss it in more detail?
I know that is an extremely important scheme. My hon. Friend will
know that the costs have risen considerably from when it was
first proposed, and it is therefore right that we look at
embracing modern methods of construction and at whether a rebuild
option is the way forward. I am very happy to meet him to discuss
it.
(Bedford) (Lab)
The Government have failed to support the East London NHS
Foundation Trust’s bid for a new hospital, despite the fact that
it has the capital to build the much-needed Bedford health
village. We have a mental ill-health epidemic among adults and
children. Does the Minister agree that it is reckless to expect
my constituents to wait many months and to travel miles to access
in-patient mental health services?
The hon. Gentleman might have missed in the announcement we made
a couple of weeks ago that we are building three new mental
health hospitals as part of the hospital building programme. That
is also a part of our wider support for mental health, including
the extra £2.3 billion of funding compared with four years
ago.
(Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
(Con)
May I thank my right hon. Friend for the rapid progress he is
making on the hospital building programme? Can he confirm that he
will shortly be announcing a full and final programme of funding
so that we can deliver a superb new state-of-the-art hospital in
Hillingdon, where, I am proud to say, enabling works are already
under way?
I am delighted to hear that the enabling works are under way. I
know that my right hon. Friend has championed both Hillingdon and
the new hospital building programme. I am sure that he will
welcome the investment of more than £20 billion. I can confirm
that Hillingdon will be fully funded. In addition to the enabling
works, we are working closely with the trust to incorporate the
Hospital 2.0 design into Hillingdon, as we will at Whipps Cross,
as part of taking that programme forward.
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
When will the Government announce capital funding for the new
hospital in Lancaster: before or after 2030?
Mr Speaker
And Chorley, of course.
Chorley is extremely important, Mr Speaker—I am very sighted on
that.
Our commitment is that that is part of the new hospital building
programme. We said that it is part of the rolling programme, so
it will not be completed by 2030 but we are keen to get work
started on it, and that is exactly what we will be discussing
with Members of Parliament in the weeks ahead.
Dental Recovery Plan
(Totnes) (Con)
12. When he plans to publish a dental recovery plan.(905218)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
Our dental plan will be out shortly. We are already taking steps
to reform the contract. We have created more bands for units of
dental activity, to better reflect the fair cost of work and to
incentivise NHS work. We have introduced a minimum UDA value to
sustain practice where it is low, allowing dentists to deliver
110% of their UDAs. As a result, the amount of dental activity
being delivered is up by about a fifth on a year ago, but we know
that we must go further.
I welcome the Minister’s response and his comments in a recent
Westminster Hall debate. It is clear that there is still a
problem, and many of us are still asking for the recovery plan to
come forward. I am afraid that “soon” is not good enough. Nearly
every single one of the NHS dentists in my constituency is either
not taking on new patients or leaving the area. “Soon” needs a
date. Can we have this plan either immediately or sooner?
Neil O’Brien
I was seized by the thoughtful comments that my hon. Friend made
in that Westminster Hall debate. We are working on all those
ideas, and the plan will be out very shortly.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his response. Would he consider
encouraging more students to go into dental work by writing off
student loans for those who go into NHS dental work for a
five-year period—in other words, we get something back if we
invest in them?
Neil O’Brien
At every stage, we are taking action to get more dentists doing
NHS work. There are 6.5% more dentists doing NHS work than in
2010. The hon. Gentleman has an important idea. We are doing
other things to retain NHS dentists, such as the important
reforms that we made to pensions, which have helped both GPs and
NHS dentists.
Improving Hospital Facilities
(Bosworth) (Con)
13. What progress he has made on improving hospital facilities.
(905220)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
The Government are providing record investment in NHS hospital
facilities to improve staff and patient experiences and provide
extra capacity to cut waiting lists, including the more than £20
billion that we announced just under two weeks ago.
Dr Evans
I thank the Secretary of State for his serious investment in
Leicestershire, with £14 million for the diagnostic centre in
Hinckley and now part of that £20 billion going to Leicester
Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield
Hospital, including for upgrading the car park. But there is one
final part. In 2018 we had £7 million allocated to Hinckley for
improvements, but due to covid and the community diagnostic
centre investment, the business plan has changed to a day case
unit. The money is there. Will he remove the red tape and look on
this kindly and swiftly?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the series of investments
that we have made in his local area. On the specific case he
raises, he will know that the business case needs regional
approval, and that is currently with NHS colleagues, but I am
happy to commit to him that once that is received, we will look
at it very keenly.
(Hammersmith) (Lab)
How much of the reduced £20 billion for the 2030 new hospital
programme, if any, is secured for Imperial College Healthcare NHS
Trust hospitals, and what are the new completion dates for
building works to Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s
hospitals, now that they have been removed from the list of
projects to be completed by 2030?
As I set out in my statement, there are three schemes within the
trust proposal. That is part of the rolling new hospital
programme. We are keen to get the enabling works started as soon
as possible. That includes a decant at Charing Cross to enable
floor-by-floor refurbishment to proceed. We also need to discuss
with the trust potential sites for St Mary’s. There is a
considerable amount of work to be done, but we are keen to get
that enabling work done as soon as possible.
(North Swindon) (Con)
I warmly welcome the works beginning on the new £26 million
A&E facility in Swindon, hot on the heels of the £23 million
urgent care and radiotherapy centres. Will the Secretary of State
confirm that this is the single largest investment in Swindon
healthcare facilities?
I am very happy to confirm that it is the largest investment in
Swindon facilities. My hon. Friend is right to draw the House’s
attention to the £26 million investment in A&E and the £23
million investment in radiotherapy. It is a tribute to his
championing of the need for those facilities in Swindon that the
NHS has responded and this capital funding has been provided.
(Stockton North) (Lab)
I have seen the wide smiles in the pictures of the Prime
Minister, former Health Secretary and other MPs who have been
happy to visit North Tees hospital in my constituency, where
health inequalities are some of the worst in the country. They
know that it is not fit for purpose, so why on earth have the
Prime Minister and his Health Secretary turned their backs on the
dedicated staff there and rejected their bid to replace our
rundown hospital?
The hon. Gentleman seems to have missed the £12 billion record
investment in capital across the NHS, the investment in the NHS
app, the investment in tech—
That is not North Tees. You cancelled it 13 years ago.
No, the technology programmes are national programmes that cover
everyone, including North Tees. It is slightly odd to suggest
that one place alone in the country would be exempt from a
national programme; that is simply not the case. We are making
record investment, including over £20 billion in the new hospital
programme and 160 diagnostic centres and 43 new surgical hubs
this year.
Topical Questions
(Luton North) (Lab)
T2. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(905248)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
As Health Secretary, I have been clear that deploying the latest
technology and innovation is essential in order to deliver our
priorities: to cut waiting lists, improve access to GPs and
improve A&E performance. The NHS app is at the heart of this,
including the enhancement of patient choice set out in our recent
announcement, which is not available to patients in Wales. The
Patients Association estimates that by enabling people to select
a different hospital in the same region on the app, we can cut
their waiting times by as much as three months.
We have been making major improvements behind the scenes, which
are already paying off. Today, I can tell the House that between
March 2022 and March of this year, there have been 6 million new
registrations for the app; repeat prescriptions via the app have
increased from 1.6 million a month to 2.5 million a month; and
primary care appointments made on the app have increased from
30,000 a month to 250,000, and secondary care appointment from
30,000 a month to 360,000. We continue to work to increase the
app’s functionality, including opening more records and test
results and enabling more appointments, as part of our commitment
to technology.
Mr Speaker
I think a statement would be better next time.
Brain tumours are the biggest killer for people under 40, but we
are still waiting for the full £40 million that the Government
promised to fund brain tumour research. In March, I raised in the
House the heartbreaking experience of my constituents Yasmin and
Khuram, whose daughter Amani died from a brain tumour just before
her 23rd birthday. Once again, I ask whether the Minister for
Health and Secondary Care or the Secretary of State will meet
with me and my constituents to hear their calls for the full
funding allocation to be given to researchers. That funding would
be transformational for the treatment of brain tumours.
The Minister of State has met with campaigners, and I know he
stands ready to have further such meetings. As we touched on
earlier, the £40 million is available; obviously, that needs to
be allocated to research bids of the necessary quality, and the
remaining money is open to researchers to bid for. I hope they
will do so.
(North Devon) (Con)
T3. I thank my right hon. Friend for reconfirming the investment
into North Devon District Hospital. Will he meet with me, the
hospital trust and my local housing association to ensure that
the housing committed to on the Barnstaple site can rapidly
commence?(905249)
I am very keen to meet with my hon. Friend. I know this is an
extremely important scheme for her constituency, particularly the
key worker accommodation, and I look forward to having that
discussion with her and the leadership of her trust.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Ilford North) (Lab)
First, I congratulate the Health Secretary on his recent write-up
as the next Leader of the Opposition. According to the i
newspaper, his supporters are calling him “Mr Consistent”. Is
that because of the consistent rise in waiting lists since he
became Health Secretary, the consistently longer waiting times
that patients are facing, or the consistent delay to the NHS
workforce plan?
The point of consistency is that we gave a manifesto commitment
to have 26,000 additional roles in primary care, and we have
delivered that. We made a commitment to the largest ever hospital
building programme, and we have announced over £20 billion of
investment in it. The Government are standing by their manifesto
commitments—that is what we are delivering.
I am sure that will do it.
I want to turn to the most recent reports about the NHS workforce
plan, because apparently not only is that plan delayed, but we
now read in the media that it is unfunded. Labour will pay for
our workforce plan by abolishing the non-dom tax status.
[Interruption.] Conservative Members do not like it, Mr Speaker,
but it is the only tax they have been unwilling to put up. We
have a plan, and we have said how we will pay for it. How will
the Health Secretary fund his plan when it eventually arrives?
Will it be cuts to the NHS, more borrowing, or even more broken
promises?
The hon. Gentleman is recycling this question almost as often as
he recycles the non-dom funding. As I said at the last Health and
Social Care Question Time, it is like the 1p on income tax that
the Lib Dems used to promise, which was applied to every scheme
going.
We touched on this issue at the last Question Time, and indeed at
the one before: we have a commitment to a long-term workforce
plan. The Chancellor made that commitment in the autumn
statement, but it is a complex piece of work that NHS England is
working on. It is important that we get the reforms in that plan
right, and that is what we are committed to doing.
(Erewash) (Con)
T4. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Obesity Health Alliance
launched its manifesto to tackle the high levels of diet-related
ill health and the impact that has on our economy and society.
Can my hon. Friend update the House on the progress being made on
implementing the measures in section 172 of and schedule 18 to
the Health and Care Act 2022 on the advertising of less healthy
food and drink?(905250)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care (Neil O’Brien)
We are still committed to reducing the advertising of unhealthy
food, including the junk food watershed that will be implemented
in 2025. Ahead of that, we are taking action on obesity across
the board, including the sugar tax, which has cut the average
sugar content of affected drinks by 46%, the calorie labelling
that we have on out-of-home food in cafés and restaurants, and
the location restrictions on less healthy food that are coming in
from October.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
(SNP)
Kidney Research UK has published a report on the health economics
of kidney disease, predicting a terrifying rise over the next 10
years. As we know, uncontrolled diabetes is the biggest cause,
with Diabetes UK noting that those disproportionately most at
risk are those from poverty and from south Asian and black ethnic
backgrounds. Reducing health inequalities is therefore key, and
it is a key ambition for the Scottish Government. It means
tackling poverty in our society. What steps is the Minister’s
Department—
Mr Speaker
Order. This is topicals.
It is topical because the research was just published
yesterday.
Mr Speaker
The question cannot go on forever; let us get an answer.
Neil O’Brien
I had a useful conversation with the Scottish public health
Minister where we discussed many of these issues. We are
providing huge cost of living support—some of the most generous
in Europe, worth £3,300 a household—and taking action across the
piece. Whether it is smoking or obesity, we are tackling the
underlying causes of the health inequalities that the hon.
Gentleman mentions.
(Gainsborough) (Con)
T8. Under the Human Rights Act, do the Government not have a duty
of care to deal with the housing of illegal migrants? How can the
Government ensure the health of 2,000 migrants cooped up in the
former RAF Scampton? In particular, how will they ensure their
health given the fact that the site is riddled with asbestos and
contamination from 100 years of RAF usage? I see a case coming to
the European Court of Human Rights.(905255)
Clearly, an increase in population in a specific area will have
an impact on the health needs there. I recognise the concern that
my right hon. Friend raises, and I will ask the Minister for
Primary Care and Public Health to follow up with him on this
important point. While the NHS is well equipped to deal with
short-term pressures, this issue highlights the importance of the
Prime Minister’s commitment to stop the boats and the
Government’s overall strategy on illegal migration.
(East Kilbride, Strathaven
and Lesmahagow) (SNP)
T5. As chair of the all-party parliamentary health group, I have
been hearing so much about the importance of artificial
intelligence innovation in mental health, and I was pleased to
launch the AVATAR2 clinical trials in three universities across
the UK. Will the Secretary of State commend this progress being
made in digital innovation? It deserves scrutiny, but can make
much progress.(905251)
I very much welcome it. I am delighted to hear that constructive
approach to AI from the hon. Lady. The importance of AI is why we
have been funding more than 80 AI lab schemes with more than £130
million. AI has huge potential to help patients. We are seeing
that, for example, in stroke patients getting care much quicker.
She is right that there are also some regulatory and other issues
that we need to address, but we should not miss the opportunities
of AI, and she is right to highlight them.
(Southend West) (Con)
T9. Last week, not a single dentist across the city of Southend
said that they were taking on new NHS patients, which is
concerning for my constituents. Can my hon. Friend confirm again
what steps he is taking to make sure that my constituents get the
NHS dental treatment that they deserve?(905256)
Neil O’Brien
This is absolutely the top priority I am working on at the
moment. I am totally seized of the challenge that my hon. Friend
mentions. I have mentioned some of the reforms we are already
making, which have increased dental activity by about a fifth in
the year to March, but we know that we have to go further and we
will do so shortly.
(Nottingham East) (Lab)
T6. More than one in 10 social care roles are vacant, and the
biggest culprit in this recruitment and retention crisis is low
pay. According to recent TUC analysis, a £15 an hour minimum wage
for care workers would not only tackle staff shortages, but level
up places such as the east midlands, introducing an £800 million
economic boost. Will the Government introduce that?(905252)
The Minister for Social Care ()
I want to see the care workforce recognised and rewarded for the
work that they do. That is one reason why we gave adult social
care a record uplift to its funding of up to £7.5 billion in the
autumn statement, for local authorities to fund care providers to
pay their workforce in turn. That goes hand in hand with our
workforce reforms to develop the skills and career opportunities
for the care workforce.
(Christchurch) (Con)
Has my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State read the report
“Safe and Effective?” produced in April by a group of senior
clinicians, which is very critical of the work of the Medicines
and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency? If he has not yet read
it, will he do so, please?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I feel that we had a
very productive meeting yesterday with the all-party
parliamentary group on covid-19 vaccine damage about the vaccines
for covid and the issue of the MHRA. He raised a number of
important points during that meeting, including that on the MHRA,
and I will be responding to him shortly.
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
T7. One of my constituents with complex health needs has
struggled to get GP appointments for years now. On one occasion
when they could not get an appointment, they had to resort to
taking out-of-date medicine. Last week, they phoned every morning
at 8 am, before finally getting just a telephone appointment.
When will the Government finally fix the crisis in primary care
and make sure that everyone gets access to a GP
appointment?(905253)
As the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my
hon. Friend the Member for Harborough, said earlier, through the
primary care recovery plan we have specific measures to tackle
things such as the pressure at 8 am, particularly on a Monday
morning. There is the investment in digital telephony, with
call-back features, and online booking, as well as the channel
shift to enable pharmacists to do more and to prescribe more, the
use of the NHS app and the review of 111. There is a range of
initiatives that we are taking to address the increased demand.
Ultimately, GPs are seeing more patients—up to 10% more
patients—but there is more demand, and that is how we are meeting
it.
(Kettering) (Con)
Kettering General Hospital is aiming to submit its final business
case for its £34 million net zero energy centre in December, but
has been told that when it does so, it can expect at least a
13-week wait for approval. The Secretary of State has been good
enough to see for himself the urgent need for this new power
plant. Is there anything he can do to speed up this process?
I share my hon. Friend’s desire for us to move at pace on the
scheme. As he says, I have seen at first hand the importance of
the scheme at Kettering, and I stand ready to work constructively
with him to expedite that case, because I do not think anyone is
in any doubt of the importance of the work at Kettering. It is a
huge tribute to him and the way he has championed the case for
Kettering that it was such a central part of the new hospital
programme announcement.
(Wakefield)
(Lab/Co-op)
In Wakefield, I am pleased to say that our campaign to save our
city centre walk-in service has been successful, but every day
people are still struggling to get a GP appointment. The latest
NHS statistics show that, in April, 12,586 people waited more
than 28 days. Quite simply, there are not enough fully qualified
GPs. Labour has a workforce plan that is ambitious and costed.
Where is the Government’s delayed and fully funded workforce
plan?
Neil O’Brien
I have already mentioned that we have nearly 2,000 more doctors
in primary care than we did in 2019, as well as the early
delivery of the 26,000 extra clinicians we have brought into
primary care. [Interruption.] The Opposition may not want to hear
it, but the truth is that we have increased funding for general
practice by about a fifth in real terms. We have more doctors and
other clinicians, and GPs are doing 10% more appointments every
month. We want to continue to build on that, which is why we have
the primary care recovery plan and why we have invested a further
£645 million in enabling people to get treatment from their
pharmacists, freeing up 10 million more GP appointments. We know
we must go further, but we are making progress.
(Newcastle-under-Lyme)
(Con)
I know the Minister is very keen to see the numbers of elective
waits fall, and they have been falling. My constituents in
Newcastle-under-Lyme share that aim. So will he welcome the local
hospital trust opening not only a new modular theatre for
specialised hand surgery, but a central treatment suite for day
patients at the County Hospital in Stafford funded by NHS
England’s elective recovery plan, which will help cut waits for
planned procedures?
The Minister for Health and Secondary Care ()
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He has articulately and
eloquently set out the improvements being made at Stafford County
Hospital, and he has been a strong champion for those works. This
is real, visible, positive change that will benefit both
residents and patients in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the
surrounding areas.
(Glasgow South)
(SNP)
My constituent Brian Murray lost his wife Roberta six years ago,
following years of chronic health conditions after an infected
blood transfusion. He wants to know: when will the Government
enact all of the recommendations regarding compensation from the
second report by Sir Brian Langstaff?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We take this issue
very seriously, and we have already made interim payments to
those infected. The Minister for the Cabinet Office came to the
Dispatch Box in April when Brian Langstaff’s review was
published, and we are working night and day to respond to those
recommendations and get that plan out as soon as possible. We
recognise the impact on families, and on those infected and
affected.
(Sleaford and North
Hykeham) (Con)
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial
Interests. Today Dr Mike McKean, a respiratory consultant and
vice-president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child
Health, said that vaping is “fast becoming an epidemic” among
children. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said
that we should ban disposable cigarettes—e-cigarettes—“without a
doubt”. Will the Minister do all he can to prevent children from
starting vaping, and will he back my ten-minute rule Bill, which
was first introduced in this place in February, to ban disposable
e-cigarettes?
Neil O’Brien
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend and her leadership on this issue.
Many of the ideas that she has been putting forward are already
in the plan that we set out to tackle youth vaping, including the
creation of the “flying squad”, the ongoing call for evidence on
youth vaping, and all the different things we could do to
continue to drive it down.
(Barnsley East) (Lab)
The non-surgical breast cancer service in South Yorkshire is
facing a critical shortage of oncologists. The shortage is so
severe that patients are being told to expect months between
referral and appointment. What immediate steps are the Government
taking to ensure that patients, no matter their postcode, see a
specialist as soon as they need to do so?
As reflected in the fact that we met the faster diagnosis
standard in February and March for the first time, we are
investing more in our cancer services to meet the recognised
increase in demand. That is why more patients are being treated
sooner and survival rates are improving. I am happy to look at
any variation at a local level because of workforce pressure, but
the diagnostic centres and surgical hubs are all part of our
response to the increase in cancer demand.
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
A number of dentists across north Staffordshire are stopping NHS
treatment, which is extremely concerning. Some of my constituents
have reported that they are being told they will have to pay
either £120 a year or £14 a month to stay on the books. Will my
hon. Friend look into those serious concerns and meet me to
discuss the matter further?
Neil O’Brien
I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss those important
issues further.
(St Albans) (LD)
I recently learned that my local integrated care board is not
allowed to spend the money it wants to spend on securing the best
location for a new GP practice and health centre. The reason is
that Treasury rules, which are used by the District Valuer
Services, are not keeping up with market rents. Will the
Secretary of State speak to his colleagues in the Treasury to fix
that, before we face an epidemic of health centres and GPs
leaving town and city centres, and moving to ring-road locations
away from the populations they serve?
I am very happy to look at that specific issue and raise it with
Treasury colleagues.
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