Strengthening Families
Debate between Karen Buck and Margaret Greenwood(8 years ago)
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Ms Karen Buck (in the Chair)
Order. Before the hon. Lady intervenes, I would remind Members that this is not a debate about the health service.
Oliver Dowden
I will give way in just one moment. Record numbers of operations are being performed on the NHS, record numbers of people are seeing GPs, and record numbers of people are being seen in A&E. We have committed an extra £8 billion in this Parliament and another £6 billion was committed in the Budget to the NHS. I will give way, and then I must move on.
Margaret Greenwood
I thank the Minister for giving way and I take on board your comment, Ms Buck, but I would say that the debate is cross-departmental and the document does refer to health. Accountable care systems or integrated care systems are suggesting bundling together budgets for the hospitals, the GPs, community health, public health and local authority spending of one area—Wirral, for example—and potentially giving that to one private provider. We have seen what happened with Carillion, so there is clearly a huge risk in taking that kind of approach. I would say that if that leads to the privatisation of the national health service, it will have a devastating effect on families.
Ms Karen Buck (in the Chair)
I call the Minister, and I would stress my earlier point to him as well.