Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Dan Poulter and Andrew Bridgen(9 years, 2 months ago)
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Dr Poulter
A reorganisation of NHS services that results in administration spending being reduced from 4.27% under the previous Government to 2.77% under this Government, meaning that there is £5 billion more money for front-line patient care, is a good thing. That is something the Opposition should support, because it means that patients are getting a better service.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
Can the Minister remind the House of the number of extra specialist A and E doctors working in the NHS in England now compared with 2010?
Dr Poulter
My hon. Friend is right to raise this important point. As part of our commitment to investing more money in the front line, we have been able to ensure that there are between 800 and 1,000 more doctors now working in A and E than there were under the Labour Government.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Dan Poulter and Andrew Bridgen(9 years, 11 months ago)
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Dr Poulter
I would be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. It is important to note that work is under way to collect better data on urogynaecological procedures generally and on mesh implants, because the complications that occur post-surgery are often multifactorial. An NHS England-funded audit on urogynaecological procedures for stress urinary incontinence is currently taking place, which covers all procedures, not just mesh implants. I am sure that we can discuss that and what the working group will do to review the procedures when we meet.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
3. What progress his Department has made in introducing a cap on care costs.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
T7. The Government can be rightly proud that there are fewer managers and more doctors in the NHS than in 2010. However, recent research by the TaxPayers Alliance shows that in the Greater East Midlands commissioning support unit more than £1 million a year is being spent on 26 administrative jobs of dubious value such as communications managers, communications officers, three communications and engagement leads, and two equality and diversity managers. The list goes on, Mr Speaker, but I will not. What further steps can my right hon. Friend take to ensure that the NHS budget is spent on front-line medical services?
Dr Poulter
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the fact that as much money as possible always needs to be put into front-line patient care. Under the previous Government, spending on managers and administrators more than doubled from £3 billion to £7 billion, and we have seen the number of administrators fall by 20,000. There is clearly work to do in his area, because as much money needs to go on front-line patient care as possible, and I hope that local commissioners will be looking to share back-office services as much as possible with other commissioning groups to reduce costs and put money into front-line patient care.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Dan Poulter and Andrew Bridgen(10 years, 2 months ago)
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Dr Poulter
We have trained more midwives. To go back to a previous question, it was under the previous Government that trained midwives from this country were having to go and work overseas. That is no longer the case. We now have 5,000 more in training—a record number—to make sure that we provide more midwives. I would also like to welcome the hon. Gentleman back to this country.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
Last year I spent a busy and informative day with the East Midlands ambulance service on the road. It was clear speaking to those professionals that a large proportion of individuals taken to A and E would be better served by going to their GP or by accessing other services. However, the ambulance service felt completely disempowered to advise or even to refuse to take anyone to A and E who requested it.
NHS: Negligence
Debate between Dan Poulter and Andrew Bridgen(10 years, 7 months ago)
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Andrew Bridgen
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the money set aside by the NHS to compensate patients for clinical negligence claims will be paid to lawyers representing patients.
[Official Report, 5 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 469-70W.]
Letter of correction from Daniel Poulter:
An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for North West Leicestershire (Andrew Bridgen) on 5 September 2013.
The full answer given was as follows:
Dr Poulter
As at 31 March 2013 the National Health Service Litigation Authority has made provision for claimant solicitors' costs of £1.22 billion. This is against a total provision of £5.8 billion relating to all reported but unresolved clinical negligence claims, equating to a proportion of about 21% of the provision.
It should be emphasised that these sums do not represent a single year's costs, but a provision in the account for costs that may be paid out spread over a number of subsequent years.
The correct answer should have been:
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Dan Poulter and Andrew Bridgen(11 years ago)
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Dr Poulter
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The health and wellbeing boards in particular will be well placed to bring together and join up what goes on in early interventions and to break down some of the silos that have existed in education, social services and health care. It is through the health and wellbeing boards that a lot of the work being done by health visitors and others to improve the life chances of many children, particularly those in the poorest communities, can be taken forward locally in a much stronger way.
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)
What steps are being taken to encourage and help local authorities to focus on illness prevention and help people to lead healthier lives?
Dr Poulter
My hon. Friend will be aware that local authorities are now receiving 40% of the public health budget. That allows local authorities to have a much more nuanced approach to how and where they direct their budgets. It is of course desirable to focus on the early years to give each and every child the best start in life, to set good and healthy eating patterns and to support the work being done in the health service in expanding the health visitor programme. This also allows local authorities to address other public health challenges in the area by focusing, for example, on areas with high rates of teenage pregnancy, smoking or cardiovascular disease death.