Health Questions House of Commons

streptococcus. Then GP services.

Let's go and have a look.

Order, order. Questions to the

Secretary of State for Health. Glyn

Davies.

Vecchi, Mr Speaker. Question

one. -- thank you.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker. I advise my honourable

friend that an impact assessment has

been published as part of the... 'S

public consultation. This suggests

that in moving towards an opt out

system for organ donation as part of

a wider communication and logistical

package, it can be associated with

higher donation rates. We have

invited further evidence to be

submitted and we will carefully

consider this before the...

Response. I can advise the House

that since the consultation was

published last week, we have already

had in excess of 2000 responses.

Thank you. As someone with a

long-standing passion in wanting to

increase the number of organs

available for donation, I am

encouraged by that response. Can I

just ask whether the Minister thinks

the shift from voluntary donation,

which is the current system, to one

of the state taking a decision

through presumed consent, is having

an impact on the reduction in the

number of live donors we have seen

over the last three years?

The first

thing I would say is, I part company

with his discussion that we are

moving towards the state taking

control. We are talking about having

a register where people physically

opt out rather than opt in. The next

of kin would be the tool consulted.

As regards live donation, the issues

surrounding that are very complex.

One of the reasons why we are seeing

a decline in live donation is

because the waiting lists for

receiving an organ are coming down,

which is reducing the need for live

donors. I think we should keep

watching that.

The evidence relates

to the fact that hundreds of people

die because we don't have enough

donors. Can I thank the Minister for

the work she is doing in bringing

for this consultation and ask her

what more can be done to widen

public participation?

I thank him

for his support and for the very

hard work he has done in this space.

Perhaps I could thank the daily

Mirror for their very public

displays of education they did to

their campaign. I think this is

something that we all need to make

an effort to do. There is no doubt

that the public are hugely in favour

of the nation. They want to be able

to support it as best they can. But

it has fallen from public

consciousness and I think everyone

of us has the to raise awareness

amongst the public, get involved in

the consultation. Have a real

debate. What we need to do is ensure

that people are willing to donate

their organs so we can save more

lives.

There are a significant

number of people who are on the

register. Many people die a day

because "Correct organs. Is she

aware of a particularly where were

the difficulty of Latin ethic

minority people who are less likely

to join the register than others? Is

anywhere they could be encouraged to

take part in the scheme?

I think he

has highlighted one of the biggest

challenges we face. There is no

doubt that we have a much lower rate

of organ donation among the black

and ethnic populations, yet they

suffer from more diseases that

require an organ so it is something

we are keen to do. Only this week, I

met with organisations connected

with the black and Asian communities

to discuss how we can communicate to

get the right messages through the

right messages to encourages people

to join the register.

I thank her

for her response. I fully support

the opt out organ donation, as I

believe it will increase the

donation pool. But could the

Minister outlined further the most

recent statistics on the Welsh

Department of Health should increase

in provision of organs due to

presumed consent? As it's been a

success so far?

I thank him for his

support. I agree with him that the

figures from Wales are actually a

very early stage but I think we are

looking at the system we're planning

on introducing, it is very common

with the one that currently exists

in Spain, it is the issue not so

much whether the register is moving

forward to opt out, it is all the

wraparound care that goes with that,

the specialist nurses that speak

with relatives when they are going

through the com of losing a loved

one, plus the public debate that

raises awareness. -- going through

the trauma. That is what will lead

to more organs.

Number two. The oh

is the Secretary of State has said

that our ambition is for the NHS to

be the safest place in the world to

give birth. Information on the good

beast of the coppice infection are

available on the NHS website and to

the Royal College of obstetricians

and gynaecologists published a new

leaflet which will be given to all

pregnant women for the first time in

the New Year. Because it is

Christmas I have a copy here for the

honourable lady and she has one as

well.

He has anticipated my

question! Just to reassert that two

babies on average die each month

from competition is related to group

B streptococcus and I think

awareness of that infection is

incredibly low and I wonder if he

would meet with me and GPS test to

discuss how get this to the earliest

possible stage.

I know this is a

subject she cares about quickly. I

would be happy to meet with her and

bring together the people I work

with so we can see how we can make

the best of this leaflet and make

sure it is the best Christmas

present and the most important one

as well.

Thank you. I welcome the

Government's focus on reducing

stillbirths and the maternity safety

strategy, and absolutely this

particular focus on group

streptococcus beat. Can the Minister

outlined how he is working locally

with hospitals like surfactant to

make sure they are aware of this new

focus? -- like Southampton.

Public-health health England, which

is one of the most effective bodies

who work within government, will be

working with Commissioners and

trusts across our country to make

sure that this new information is

out there with the -- ragged mothers

and the numbers of Parliament have

an important role to play in that

bottle -- pregnant. I know she will

play her part in that as well.

Number three.

General practice

remains under sustained pressure,

which is why we remain committed to

increasing the number of doctors

working in general practice by 5000.

However challenging that might be.

Does he not think it is unfortunate

that at a time when GP services are

being sustained, local hospital

services in some areas are being

reduced? Does he share my concern

that some NHS Trust managers and

clinical commissioning groups seem

hell-bent on removing valued local

services from our smaller hospitals,

such as at Driffield and

Bridlington?

He has talked

extensively about this in private

and I fully understand his concerns.

I would say that the Government is

increasing funding to the NHS, and

that involves extra money going both

for out of hospital services like

general practice and for hospital

services, and we expect all areas of

the country to find sensible ways

for those sectors to work together.

I refer members to my register of

interest. As the Secretary of State

has seen the recent Royal College of

GPs report, looking at how to

inspire a career career in general

practice whiz-mac will he consider

the recommendations to help better

support GP and medical student

placements in general practice?

I

will absolutely consider the very

sensible recommendations in the

report. People like him and indeed

on our side of the House, people who

have been GPs do a fantastic job in

flying the flag for general

practice. I think we are making some

progress. 3157 medical school

students have gone into general

practice as a specialty, which is

the highest ever, but there is lots

more work to do.

I would very much

welcome the additional funding that

this Government has put into the

NHS, but constituents tell me that

they can better manage chronic

conditions and illnesses if they

have consistent care from general

practitioners, something they find

very difficult to access in some

surgeries in my constituency.

Because of problems with recruitment

and retention. What is he doing with

his team to make sure we can lessen

that problem?

I totally agree, I

think one of the best things about

the NHS is having a GP who knows you

and your family, and I think there

is a lot of evidence that it is the

best way to manage people with

long-term conditions, as she rightly

says. The truth is that for a very

long time, governments on both sides

have not invested as much as we

should in general practice. We are

trying to put that right. Part of

that is actually flying the flag for

what an exciting career it is. It is

the one part of medicine where you

have an ongoing relationship with

patients and their families over

their whole lives, and that is

something that is very motivating.

Thank you. The capacity and

availability of at least one of the

GP surgeries in my constituency are

both profoundly affected by their

relationships with NHS property

services, with incomplete

maintenance jobs and vastly

increased rent being a problem. Will

the Secretary of State meet with me

and that practice manager to discuss

this?

The idea understand the concerns

that she raises and who have been

raised by a number of members. There

are historic issues about the

numbers of rent charges which are

not fear when you look at the

variation of what is charged to GP

practices across the country. I will

look into those issues.

The NHS has

lost 1300 full-time GP equivalents

in the last three years and 200

partners in the same period. Given

that 20% of the GP workforce is aged

over 60, it is clear there is a

retirement time looming. What steps

does the Secretary of State intend

to take to address the looming

crisis. Patients are waiting longer

than ever free surgery appointment.

I would respectfully say I think the

figures she has pointed out that

would actually take account of local

doctors, but there is nonetheless a

very big problem, and she is right

to draw that to the attention of the

house. First of all, we need to

encourage more medical school

graduates to go into that as a

specialty and our objective is that

half of all medical school graduates

should choose general practice as

their specialty. We are making good

progress, but retention is also

extremely important, and that's why

we are putting in place a number of

programmes that will make it easier

for GPs who want to work a limited

period of time to work flexibly and

make it easier for people who have

family responsibilities to

potentially work from home.

We had productive discussions with

the Chancellor of the Exchequer head

of the Budget which led to a £2.8

billion increase in NHS revenue

funding and a three Eddie Howe

billion pounds increase in capital

funding.

Given that the NHS trusts

in England are facing an

accumulative shortfall of over £1

billion and still one in six

patients attending A & E will wait

for over 4-mac Iris to be treated,

what will be Secretary of State be

telling managers to focus on this

winter?

I am bemused to hear that

question from the honourable

gentleman given that over the last

4-mac years, NHS funding in England

has increased by 10%. In Scotland,

it has only increased by 5%.

Scotland has now got the longest

waiting times on record for elective

surgery. What are we saying to NHS

managers? We are seeing we

understand how tough it is. You and

your team's are doing a brilliant

job and we want to do everything we

can to support you through what will

be a challenging winter.

Can I

congratulate my Right Honourable

Friend on securing the extra funding

and making sure that it spent

effectively in his Department, and

does he agree with me that one

important thing to think about at

this time of year is winter

pressures? In an area like mine, it

is important that there should be

some extra funding at the hospital

at this time of year, and is he able

to say anything about that today in

respect of the Lister Hospital in

Hertfordshire?

In the spirit of

Christmas, I am a happy to tell my

Right Honourable Friend that the

Lister Hospital received an extra

£2.5 billion to help with the winter

pressures as the result of the

Chancellor 's budget announcement.

-- £2.5 million.

The patient in

Exeter waiting over a year for vital

surgery, can he explain the

contradictory statements of the

traveller who said at the time of

the Budget that he expected

significant inroads to be made into

growing waiting time lists and the

secret of the NHS boards who met the

following week when they said NHS

waiting times centres will not be

fully funded or met next year?

I've

been waiting for him to issue that

press release welcoming the £1.4

million of extra funding that you

Royal Devon of Exeter got in the

Chancellor APPLAUSE

Budget, but for some extraordinary

reason it hasn't been forthcoming.

Let me tell right honourable

gentleman that the NHS... This was

something many people commented on,

got a lot more money than it was

expecting in the winter announcement

and money that will, to answer his

question, make a big difference in

helping the NHS get back to meeting

its constitutional waiting time

targets.

First of all, can I welcome

the winter allocation for the

hospitals in my area, which was very

welcome. Given the improvements in

my hospital area theory, which the

Minister agree that leadership is as

important as funding?

He is

absolutely right to say that. Both

matter. You need to have the right

level of funding, but one of the

highlights for me this year was

visiting his local trust in Carlisle

and the new tours will

transformation in readership. This

was one of the most troubled trusts

in the NHS. Thanks to the dedication

of everyone working there, they have

turned things around.

The Scottish

Government already pays nurses and

the resistance the highest rates in

the UK, has maintained the nursing

bursary and has now committed to a

3% pay rise for those earning

£30,000 or less. Does the Secretary

of State recognised that his failure

to similarly value NHS staff in

England is one of the reasons

nursing vacancy rates is more than

double that of Scotland?

What I

recognise is that life expectancy

continues to rise in England, but

has ground to a halt in Scotland.

One of the reasons for that is

because his party has consistently

not taking the extra resources it

could and put them into the NHS and

Member other priorities.

At the last

health questions, the Health

Secretary said that funding the new

Chancellor to remove the pay gap

would be based on productivity

improvements. Could he therefore it

collaborate on what productivity

improvements are expected and when

will NHS England staff get a pay

rise they deserve? Deserve?

We are

having discussions about

productivity. We are looking at

allsorts of things including the

weight increments are some works and

I am very hopeful that we'll have a

modern contract fit for the future

for gender for a change staff and

something that allows us to go

beyond the 1% as the Chancellor has

authorised me to do.

It is not just

don't funding. These editors state

recently wrote to East Sussex health

trust to recognise the fact that the

A & E Department of the most

improved the last six months. When I

spoke to be chief executive, his

point was that management focus

around target and delivery was the

reason why that can read have

occurred.

-- was the reason why that

change occurred. I met with him last

week and was able to congratulate

him on a number of changes. He will

be pleased that we have been able to

find 1.9 million more. He is right.

It's not just about money. They say

it is all about money, we know the

quality of leadership makes a

critical difference in turning round

hospitals and making them the best

in the world.

In the last few weeks,

Simon Stephens and another number of

others told the Government the NHS

does not have the funding it needs.

It is blatantly obvious that with

performance, treatment is rationed

and staff demoralised after seven

years are paid restriction that

funding is not sufficient. Even

though the Secretary of State has a

new-found enthusiasm for 280

character statements, I am asking

for him today is one word. If the

NHS getting the funding it says it

needs, yes or no?

CHEERING

Is the happy with...

Order, order.

We must observe the terms of the

debate. Don't play games with the

traditional and established

procedures of this House. Please,

Secretary of State, you can do

better than that.

Mr Speaker, yes, I

am delighted that his local hospital

got £2.8 million in the Budget and I

am disappointed he didn't feel able

to issue a press release to his

local press. The difference between

me and him, and I much enjoyed

debating with him over the years, is

that we both want to find extra

money for the NHS. He would do it by

hiking corporation tax that would

destroy jobs on this side of the

house. We want to create jobs and

that's what wording. -- that is what

we are doing.

With your permission,

Mr Speaker, I will also answer

questions than. Councils in England

will receive an additional £2

billion for social care of the next

three years as announced in March

2000 and 17. The Government have

given councils access to up to a lot

more money for social care over the

next two years as a result of

measures introduced. Overall

councils are able to increase

spending on adult social care in

real terms in each of the next three

years.

Last week's health survey for

England, prove that all the people

in deprived areas like my own

constituency are twice as likely to

have unmet social care needs and the

NHS is left picking up the pieces.

When will this Government stop

passing the buck and bring forward

concrete plans on proper investment

and reform to end the national

scandal that is our care system?

IC

to the honourable gentleman, the

entitlement to care is completely on

the carer. If needs are not being

met, there is a statutory obligation

that can be enforced. With regards

to long-term solutions, we have put

additional money aside to sort out

short term pressures, but we need to

have a long-term and most

sustainable deal and that is why we

are bringing forward a paper next

year and I hope you will participate

in that debate.

Following the four

seasons temporary reprieve from

Administration, what plans are in

place to help councils deliver their

statutory care duties in the event

of this major providers feel the?

I

am grateful to the honourable

gentleman for raising the best with

me today, because I hope to reassure

the house and there is no immediate

threat to the continuity of care.

Myself and my officials are keeping

a close eye on this to keep sure

that would be the speakeasy we

ensure there is a stable transition

hand the commercial issues are dealt

with in an appropriate way. It is

going to bring challenging

conversations, but I assure him that

myself and my officials are on it.

Given that health and social care

are intrinsically linked, does the

Minister agree with me that now is

the time to put health and social

care under one roof in a combined

Department?

I say to my honourable

friend, I have always thought that

that was the enemy of good public

policy, is of the more that we can

integrate policy-making across

Government tends to lead to better

outcomes. I can assure her that I

have regular conversations with the

local government and departments as

we approach the long-term funding

pressures and we will be very much

working in tandem.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Not only did the recent

health survey show that needs, unmet

needs were most concentrated amongst

people who were the most deprived,

it also showed that 2.3 million

older people aged 65 and over now

have unmet Kearney 's. 2.3 million.

-- unmet carer needs. Nobody has

said anything about closing the

funding gap for social care. Given

that the green paper is only

scheduled for next summer, what is

the Health Secretary doing about the

crisis in funding social care and

meeting staggering levels of unmet

need?

The honourable lady will be

aware that immediately following

these questions, we will be having a

statement from the Secretary of

State on funding. Remind her again,

we have made a additional 9.5

million available over the last

three years. The long term

sustainability will be addressed by

reform and that is why we are

bringing forward the green paper. As

to the figures regarding unmet

needs, I do not recognise them. The

entitlement to care is enshrined in

the care Act and those rights are

protected.

Number six.

The Minister

of State.

With your permission, I

will take the questions together.

The autumn budget committed backing

the NHS about 2019 2020 it would

have received funding including the

£237 million and 3.5 billion of new

capital investment by 2022.

Can I

welcome the recent budget

announcement for the NHS, in

particular extra support preparing

for this winter. Can he say what she

funding my local hospital will

attain?

Initially congratulated on the more

convey trust, which has gone through

some difficulty and he has stuck

with it and supported the trust and

I can confirm that up to £2 million

of funding was allocated to more

convey trust last Friday. I

congratulate them on that and I'm

sure he will join me in

congratulating the trust on becoming

the eighth most inclusive employer

in the UK.

Does my honourable friend

share my delight at the four £2

million capital allocation that was

announced in the recent Budget, and

would my honourable friend agree

with me that huge sum of money will

not only enable us to maintain the

present excellent services at

Southend Hospital, but we will be

able to enhance and develop them

further for all the benefit of all

local residents?

He has worked

tirelessly with his neighbouring

colleagues in Essex to secure not

just the £41 million he refers to,

but it is a component in the £180

million capital allocation made to

the mid and South Essex area in the

budget. This will provide

significant investment, not only in

his hospital in Southend, but also

in Basildon and the Broomfield in

Chelmsford, which I'm sure he and

his colleagues in Essex will

welcome.

Thank you. When my local

CCG in North Derbyshire has been

placed in Special Measures by NHS

England are forced to cut £60

million over just six months, and to

bring forward the closure of our

Spencer ward in Buxton due to lack

of funding before any proper

alternative is in place, with the

Secretary of State not agree that

the Budget fund is too little, too

late?

Well, the honourable lady will

be aware that Special Measures was

brought in to help trusts that are

having difficulty in meeting quality

performance standards, to improve

their quality, and they receive

support from NHS improvement in

order to do that. Our trust, if she

would like to to me about specific

would be happy to take them up, but

as far as I'm concerned, her trust

is on an improvement journey.

Sense

about a quarter of the additional

funding goes to patients with

neurological conditions from strokes

to Parkinson's, what steps is he

taking to reduce the often appalling

delays between the onset of disease

and access to occupational and

physical therapy? Will he agreed to

meet a charity from my constituency,

the integrated neurological

services, which is saving lives and

money by vastly reducing that time

delay?

He will be aware that I was

-- by specialising cardiac services

in particular into acute cardiac

hospitals is having a significant

impact in improving both access to

treatment by reducing the time it

takes to meet, to give the

diagnostic tests and the initial

treatment, and is therefore saving

lives, so specialisation is working

in London and other parts of the

country where it is about. I'm sure

he would welcome the recent Halit --

allocation to Cookson hospital.

I

visited a hospital earlier this year

and it was enough to recognise their

patients are being treated with

increasingly world-class treatments.

Can he can run the hospital will get

£2.6 million to cope with winter

pressures this year? Villa my

honourable friend never fails the

highlight the success of Kettering

Hospital.

I am delighted to confirm

that £2.6 million will be available

for him in that hospital this

winter, and we're working hard but

the hospital management through the

Special Measures regime to improve

performance in that trust.

Thank

you, Mr Speaker. Bed occupancy rates

across London last winter were

running about 100% or very near,

including at went across. With the

much vaunted extra funding at the

end of this winter, what will the

occupancy rate have been? --

including at winter cross.

Occupancy

rates are high at this time, not

least following the recent cold

snap, which has put additional

pressure on hospital trusts, but we

have used some of the funding

provided in the March Budget to

increase the rates of delayed

transfers of care, to improve

patient flow throughout all

hospitals, and that has led to

slight reduction in bed occupancy,

running up to winter.

Number eight,

Mr Speaker.

In order to increase the

number of mental health patients we

treat by 1 million every year by

2020-21, we are increasing the

number of mental health posts in the

NHS by 20 1000. I certainly welcome

that increase. -- 20 1000. Would he

agree that there is a particular

need to address mental-health issues

in schools, and could he set out

what plans he has to give extra

support there?

Well, he is

absolutely right, for the very

simple reason that prevention is

better than cure, and half of all

mental health conditions become

established before the age of 14,

which is why it was so significant

that following the Budget and what

we allowed an extra £300 million

being allocated to the mental-health

green paper, precisely to improve

the service we offer students in

schools.

Thank you, Mrs Pickard. The

Secretary of State has on numerous

occasions spoken to the media and

this House, referring to an increase

of 4300 staff working in mental

health trusts since 2010. In a

response to my written question, he

was unable to clarify whether this

1300 figure includes the 1478 people

who were rebadged as Mental Health

Trust staff following a merger in

Manchester last year. Nor would he

confirm that this figure includes

850 people from NHS digital who were

already working in the sector and

transferred to Mental Health Trust

when priority care trusts closed in

2013. With the Secretary of State

for the House some festive cheer and

take the opportunity to set the

record straight?

I am very happy to

offer her festive cheer, and

expecting her that even if her

suspicion is right, and I do not

believe it is, but even if it is

right, there has still been a

significant increase in the number

of staff employed in mental health

trusts. The other suspicion that she

is constantly raising in the media

is that mental health funding is

being cut, she will know the best

news of this year is defined at last

year funding went up by £575

million.

Given the NHS and is a

great deal of land and buildings and

mental health workers face I

accommodation costs, while the

Secretary meet with me so I

reconnect them how the

house-building can be used as a

powerful recruitment to four mental

health workers

powerful recruitment to four mental

health workers? Ithank him for his

work on this and he is right, we are

more than happy to talk about it but

we have is a priority to make sure

that when NHS land is disposed of,

NHS workers get the first

opportunity to buy or rent the

houses that are built.

Thank you

Matt, Mr Speaker. There are still

not enough staff trained in autism

diagnosis across the NHS. With the

Secretary of State consider training

a specialist in each community

adolescent and child mental Health

Service might across the country,

and to ensure there is no longer a

postcode lottery?

I would always

listen to her on these matters

because I know she has professional

experience, and I do not think we do

well enough for families with

autism, and we are looking at what

they can do better, but I have a lot

of sympathy for the case she is

making.

Thank you. Number nine.

Ensuring all our constituents,

particularly the vulnerable and

elderly, getting an adequate diet,

is critically important. That is

why, for instance, we have given

half £1 million of funding to

special task force to reduce my

nutrition among older people and we

will continue to train staff in

early action can be taken.

Thank

you, Mr Speaker. And America's most

to you and the ministers on the

bench. -- a Merry Christmas. In the

world's sixth largest economy, it is

damning that under this Government

we have seen 122% increase in the

overall numbers admitted to hospital

with malnutrition. It is clear that

more action is needed to ensure we

eradicate malnutrition in our

society. The DWP and health

Departments must work together so

that rather than introducing

measures such as Universal Credit

eligibility criteria, which will see

at least a million children lose

free school meals, we commit as a

country to tackling this issue

head-on. Will the Minister use his

power and influence to ensure this

issue is addressed immediately, and

we see an end to this failure to act

against malnutrition in the 21st

century?

And a happy Christmas to St

Helens as well, Mr Speaker. I agree,

but the healthy start programme also

provides nutritional safety net is

the hundreds of thousands of

pregnant women, families and

children. There was a slight

increase in cases being reported,

that is partly due to much better

diagnosis, but I would say some 1.1

million children get free school

meals in England and the Government

is investing £26 million in

breakfast cups. Last week, telex or

hear with their breakfast club

award, an excellent innovation. --

Kellogg's were here.

Thank you very

much, Mr Speaker. That being said,

it is disgraceful that under this

Government's watch, we have seen a

54% increase in children admitted to

hospital with malnutrition. Instead

of seeing malnutrition rising, we

really should be eradicating it. As

the festive period is upon us and it

is the season for goodwill and

giving, will the Minister give this

House and assurance that he will

seriously address this matter to

ensure that no child in this country

ever experiences malnutrition?

Of

course we want no child in England,

in our country to expense

malnutrition. I mentioned the

breakfast clubs and the nutrition

scheme, healthy start is an

excellent programme, which

encourages a healthy diet to

hundreds of thousands of families

and children. It is exactly that

which is helping us tackle this

issue.

The recently announced life

sciences sector deal draws in

significant investment into the

sector from across the world,

ensuring the next wave of

breakthrough treatments, innovative

research and the technologies and

highly skilled jobs are created

right here in Great Britain.

I thank

the Minister for that answer but in

Scotland today there are over 600

life sciences organisations employ

more than 30,000 people, which makes

Scotland one of the largest life

sciences clusters in Europe. But

could the Minister give the House

some more detail on the sector and

industry investments, which could

give even more strength to this

world leading industry across the

UK?

The sector's commercial

activity, it is very broadly spread

across the whole of the UK, which I

know is his concern. There are a

number of strong emerging life

sciences clusters. Manchester,

Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow, south

Wales and the South East. A very

broad spread.

Medical research

charities play a key role in

developing new medical treatment.

The charity research support fund,

which enables university to unlock

investment, has been frozen since

2010. Will the Secretary of State

heed the call from the charities to

about it in real terms in line with

inflation and the charity

investment?

I can come back to him

in more detail on that. But as part

of the life sciences sector deal

with imagine, just over £210 million

of industrial strategy funding for

early diagnosis, including building

on new case leadership in genomics,

and establish programmes in digital

diagnostics and AI in health care.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. We cannot

meaningfully compare it to 2010

today, the number of NHS staff

working in mental health and

learning disability cost was 100 --

over 100 and safety 2000 in July

2013, and 166,900 in July 20 17. An

increase of 4334.

That is absolutely

answered my question! Earlier, my

honourable friend read out a long

list of concerned professionals, so

let me add one more. Professor Wendy

Byrne, President of the Royal

College of psychiatry, said the

mother is a real and imminent danger

that promises made to improve mental

health services for the millions of

people who need them are about to be

betrayed. Is she wrong, and isn't it

true that without proper funding

staff, the Prime Minister bold-mac

pledge to transform mental health

services will not be met? Well, does

-- as he knows, we have published a

strategy to deliver exactly the

commitment the Prime Minister has

made. I can report we have had a

significant increase in the

workforce. There has been a 47%

increase. If I talk about psychiatry

consultants, we are up from 4026,

two 4292. Community psychiatric

nurses are up from 50,500, to 16,600

58. So, we are delivering the

workforce to deliver on diagnosis

commitments and I think the most

important thing is rather than trade

numbers, let us look at improving

patient care.

In psychiatric

conditions, they are unlikely to

routinely encounter that. How can we

make better use of GPs in mental

health?

As he identifies, the key to

this is training, but it is also

essential, the ability for GPs to

signpost people to appropriate other

treatments and therapies, and that

is exactly why we are investing in

specialist care.

If if we are talking about concerned

professionals and outcomes, can we

add headteachers and teachers? In my

area, one has written to me about a

child that she referred to comes to

be told they were 63rd list and

facing a 14 month wait for health.

That is much longer than the month

wait for health. That is much longer

than the month-long waiting target

the Government set. How kids in my

constituency safe?

The honourable

lady raises the question that we are

trying to raise in the green paper.

We are making sure we will be

treated more than 70,000 more

children with mental health issues

that need to be addressed, but I

will be quite honest, this is not

where I want to be, which is that

the way this Government has made it

a priority and we will deliver by

2020.

The Budget announced an extra

£237 million to help NHS Trust deal

with the pressures of winter.

I am

very grateful to be secretary of

state for that answer and I welcome

the additional 2.6 million for my

hospital. The care centre is a vital

service that helps to relieve

pressure on Kettering General A & E

always around. What role in

particular does he see these sort of

facilities playing in relieving

pressure is particularly during the

winter period?

I thank him for his

campaigning. He is absolutely right.

Urgent care centres have a vital

role to play in keeping people away

from busy A & E departments. We need

to be better at signposting the

public so that they know when to go

to a GP surgery and when to go to an

urgent care centre and when to go to

a hospital.

One of the causes of

pressure in my part of London is the

impending closure threat which is

still Bert to King George Hospital A

& E. -- which is still there. Canny

Secretary of State confirm that the

consultation which is now being

engaged in result in the A & E at

Kings George being saved?

I am

afraid he will have to wait until

the result of that consultation is

published. I did go and visit that

trust last week, although I went to

the Romford end of it. I have to

say, I think they are making great

strides in improving the quality of

care and through him I would like to

congratulate all the staff at with

what they are achieving.

We remain

committed to reducing the national

suicide rates by 10% by 2020 and a

record investment in mental health

will ensure we can achieve this

ambition. I can also advise that the

local suicide prevention plans no

cover 98% of the country and we

updated the cross Government suicide

prevention strategy in January to

strengthen key areas, including

focusing on self harm is an area in

its own right.

My constituent Justin

Bartholomew, just a young man of 25

recently omitted suicide by hanging

himself. His family are convinced

that the high energy drinks he was

taking, over £25 a day, increased

his anxiety. What assessment is the

Department taking to look at the

safety of these drinks?

I thank my

honourable friend for sharing this

very moving case. We have no

evidence that such drinks cause that

at this stage, but we do know that

stimulants whether it is alcohol or

caffeine do have consequences which

can affect pupils mental-health.

This is something I think does bear.

--

This is something I think does bear.

--. What if the Government doing

across the United Kingdom ensuring

that best practice with suicide

rates can be recommended it was

that best practice with suicide

rates can be recommended it was? --

can be replicated.

As he will be

aware, hours suicide prevention

strategy is rooted in local

prevention plans. What I can say is

that although we covered 98% of the

country, we really want to do a

proper audit as to how good they are

and that will enable us to share

best practice.

Let's take one last

gripping. We are out of time, but I

want to accommodate a question on

mental health service.

We have

assessed children and young people's

mental-health as part of our ongoing

work to improve services. The result

has led to £1.4 billion extra

funding, supporting local

transformations and the recent

improved provision of service in

schools, bolstering the link between

schools and the NHS and piloting a

four-week waiting time. But crack

many young people with mental ill

health report that crisis care isn't

good enough and of course the

pressures can get even worse on them

over Christmas. We'll be Government

back the call by the charity of

young minds to set up a crisis

hotline for children and young

people available through the

existing 111 service?

The honourable

gentleman is quite right to

highlight the fact that as we

approach Christmas that can often be

the moment of most crisis for people

with mental health issues. I was of

course with these Americans

yesterday to commend them for all

the work that they do and they are a

good passage to help. -- with the

Samaritans.

Highlighting the daily

challenges of families living with

autism supported by self-sustaining

groups, Kenny Minister please

explain how the recent announcement

that Westminster Hospital and a

multi-million pound development will

help these families?

My honourable

friend highlights the great

synergies between the provision of

health services that we in

Government can give, which obviously

people rely on, but also the very

important issues regarding self-help

which can be done and the support

people can give each other when they

share their experiences. Through her

I would like to commend the work of

the otters adventures blog which you

think is an extremely positive and

educational view. -- Artis

adventures.

We follow up and 99% of

all vulnerable people within a week

of their first appointment. It does

all that and more at significantly

less than the national average

budget. Will my honourable friend

agreed to look at south east of the

case study for delivering good

services and value for money?

How

could I say no to such a

proposition? What my honourable

friend illustrated the importance of

good leadership and we are good

leaders make something a priority,

then they will deliver good outcomes

at reasonable value for money.

Topical questions.

Many NHS and

social care staff next week will

give up their family Christmas to

keep NHS patients safe and I know

the whole house would like to thank

them for their dedication and

commitment over the festive period.

Is my red honourable friend aware

that due to the difficulties in

recruiting GPs, neither of the two

GP surgeries in my area are taking

on any new patients despite new

developments in the area. Can I

welcome the training places that the

Government has funded and ask for

his support that some of those

should go to the excellent Anglia

Ruskin medical School in Chelmsford?

I have a great deal of sympathy for

what he's saying. There is a big

issue in terms of recruitment and

retention of GPs. I have a

constituency interest in it have a

University also keen to host more

medical school places. I am refusing

myself from that decision, but can

as they I wish all universities good

luck, this is a his local expansion.

Let's be brief in the recognition of

the enormity of the demand

recognised in this session. But like

I would like to also join secretary

in thanking the NHS staff with

commitment this winter. Bridging

carer recently won a contract for

children's health services.

In the

Secretary of State's own backyard of

Surrey, virgin carer recently took

control. There should be going to

patient care, not of virgin carer.

Why will he not stepped in, fix the

scandal, so that three constituents

and the NHS do not out? Book-mac I

am very upset with the action taken.

Contrary to the narrative you and

your colleagues took out, was

because the NHS stripped them of

their contract and give it that the

NHS sector, hardly the private

occasion that he is always talking

about.

He will not be taking action

against Virgin Carer in Surrey. Our

research has shown there are

vacancies for 100,000 members of

staff in the NHS. There is the

national crisis. With bed occupancy

at Royal Surrey hitting a peak of

98.7% this winter already and across

the NHS bed occupancy already at an

average of 94.5%, can he tell us how

he expects the NHS to cope this

winter when it's understaffed,

overstretched and underfunded?

Mr

Speaker, if he decides he wants more

nurses, that creates vacancies. If

you want to transform mental health

provision, that creates vacancies.

That is why we announce the

workforce plan which the Government

in Wiltord not had time to do yet,

but I would like to finish by

wishing you a Merry Christmas and if

he wants to take a bit longer off

and stay away for January, we are

happy to all before it. -- happy to

hold the fort.

Breast density is a

strong predictor of developing

breast cancer, yet many women are

unaware of this. What steps are

being taken to educate women on this

potentially life-saving bit of

information? McPike important

question. We have just commissioned

war against our city to investigate

this.

If the findings suggest should

be any changes to the national

breast screening programme, the

commission will consider any changes

to make women aware of any increased

risk of breast cancer. I will be

watching a deadlock.

What assessment

has he made of NHS funding for 2018,

2019? Is it sufficient to deliver a

standard to the NHS Constitution?

The NHS mandate is very clear that

we expect the NHS to move towards

hitting those standards that we

consider to be vital for patients.

The Secretary of State will be aware

of the decision by my area to close

inpatient beds last year at the

hospital on the premise of underuse,

but which local people said was due

to a shortage of nurses. Following a

passionate campaign, Northumberland

county council has referred the

decision to be Secretary of State

for review and I would be grateful

if you could update the house on a

timescale for that decision?

I can

confirm that the health and

well-being has submitted a request

for a review by the Independent

reconfiguration panel and I

understand that officials have

reverted to them to clarify the

terms of the referral and one that

has come the Department, I am sure

the review will take place.

Last

week the Brexit secretary stated

that UK membership of EU agencies is

unlikely to continue beyond March

2019, is what provision has the

Secretary of State made to replace

the European chemicals agency that

regulates raw chemicals for

pharmaceutical industry to produce

drugs in the UK?

This is an area

which is obviously going to be very

important any negotiations. We have

made our clear which is for a

special partnership with the EU

where the benefits of the

Corporation that we have are able to

continue.

E-cigarettes release 95%

safer than tobacco products and are

now the most popular way to stop

smoking. Canny minister tell us what

is being done to encourage smokers

to quit using this method and what

steps are being taken so that users

of these are not forced to show

their space with people who continue

to smoke? That magnitude is, we do

not know enough about them. We have

asked Public Health England to

include messages about the variety

of safety.

It is for local

organisations to increment their own

policies on e-cigarette used in the

workplace.

Seriously unwelcome

individuals continue to be placed in

immigration detention despite the

adults at risk policy that says this

should not happen. Canny Secretary

of State baby has on what

discussions are taking place at the

Home Office colleagues to ensure

that assessment, treatment,

screening and application of the

rule 35 processes being properly

followed saw that vulnerable

individuals are not held in

detention in this way? Book-mac I

will always listen to what the

honourable lady says about any of

these issues.

I have had discussions

with the Immigration Minister, but

if she wants to read me indeed, I

will these things up with her.

Can I

particularly ask what more can be

done to improve oral cancers, the

main causes are smoking, drinking

and HPV and men are twice as likely

as women to suffer from these. What

steps are the Government taking to

address this issue?

As the house

knows, cancer is a huge priority for

me and this Government. Survival

rates are at a record high. We know

there is much more work to do. Early

diagnosis is key and that has never

been more true. We are supporting

dentists in playing a vital role in

spotting most cancers early. I was

discussing this point last week with

the British dental Association who

share our passion

One of my local hospitals has a

problem with a high number of nurses

leaving the profession. It is not

confined to that era, it was across

the NHS. What analysis has the

Minister dan for the reasons were

nurses leaving, and what is he going

to do to address it?

FAB issue we

have is that we haven't been very

good at making it easy for people to

work flexibly in the NHS. I think

the contracts are too rigid. We are

looking to change those and

recognise that for many nurses, the

commitment to the NHS runs very

deep, but they also had to juggle

family responsibilities with that

commitment, so we want to do better.

Many very committed individuals

working in the health and social

care services in Somerset, were one

of the challenges is getting enough

registered nurses to allow them to

integrate. What can he do to help

get more registered nurses?

My

honourable friend will be aware that

last week we published a workforce

strategy, and a major focus of it

was on meeting the Secretary of

State's commitment to increase the

number of registered nurses by 25%

but also to broaden the routes into

nursing so there is a commitment to

expand the nursing associate role,

which is helping provide

opportunities for health care

support workers to become registered

nurses through an alternative route.

There have been possibly as many as

20,000 babies born with birth

defects as a consequence of the

mothers having used sodium valproate

during pregnancy. When will we see

mandatory warnings given to pregnant

women have the risks associated with

that, and when will we see some sort

of independent analysis of how we

got to this dreadful situation?

I

know this is a subject of huge

interest in the House, over the last

three years there has been extensive

work to communicate advice of this

in pregnancy to health professionals

and patients. It is evident from

monitoring and from health

professionals, even when repeated

through multiple sources, it is not

changing behaviour sufficiently to

minimise harm associated with

exposing children to valproate

through pregnancy. Advising a

national action requiring under the

UK health system.

I don't mean to be

unkind to the Mr who was attending

to his answers. We just want the

whole House to get the benefit of

it. -- the Minister.

And the

Minister provide updates on the

Thames to move Wes Durston --

Worcestershire trust at a Special

Measures?

As he is aware I visited

all three hospitals within the

Worcestershire trust and I'm pleased

to be able to announce to him today

that the Department of Health has

concluded its analysis of the

outline business case for the £29

million allocated in July, that has

been approved.

On admissions to

hospital for malnutrition, could the

Minister tell me what has been

happening in the Wirral University

teaching Hospital, which went up

from 21 in the year 2090 2010, to

send -- 700 admissions and 2014 to

15? It seems very high. Can anyone

tell me what is going on? If not,

will they write to me to explain

this and these huge figures?

2.8

million in extra with the funding

that I will write to her with the

details on the questions she asks.

I

would like to thank the Minister of

State for listening very sensitively

to the victims of the rogue surgeon

Patterson, many of whom are

constituents of mine. Would he agree

with me that the evidence of the

health brief enquiry can indeed get

justice and closure for the victims,

and would he join you in wishing the

Bishop of Norwich great success in

getting a good outcome from this

enquiry?

I would like to pay tribute

to the right honourable lady for the

role she has done in helping to

support the victims, as she said,

many of whom were her constituents.

We are pleased that Bishop Jones has

agreed to take on this enquiry. I

think the ships to provide the

ability to empathise with the

victims and their families, which

may not always be the case with

judge-led inquiry is. As she rightly

points out, not only was his -- Hill

Spring Quarry led by Bishop, so is

the current enquiry in Gosport and

the more can they enquiry was led by

Bill Curragh Cup, rather than a

judge.

Trials for drugs have proved

vital for constituents, who consider

children to school and on holiday.

The decision to make the Seville on

the NHS will be taken soon, could

the of aquatic?

It is a devastating

impact on a person's health and

quality of life and I is something

she has discussed with me. We will

take its ears, and happy to talk to

her more about it.

My own brother's

funeral will be held later today,

can I ask the Secretary of State

what help and support he has given

to the families of drug and alcohol

abusers?

I think the whole House

will want to express our condolences

to my honourable friend on what is

happening this afternoon. He

alongside many people on all sides

of the House have raised this issue.

We are looking closely at what more

support we can give to children in

one of the most vulnerable

situations you can imagine. I thank

him for raising the matter.

The NHS

patient declaration form for free

dental care and prescriptions

requires patients to determine the

difference between contribution and

income related ES A. Getting this

wrong attracts a hefty fine. We'll

Minister ensure that first patients

get the opportunity to make the

right choice before fines are

applied?

Yes, of course, the NHS is

there were issues the charges were

incorrect claims for exemption. We

have recently increased the number

of checks because ultimately this is

the money of taxpayers you must

ensure to spend properly and

legally.

Can I welcome the extra

£1.1 million to help with winter

pressures at the Luton and Dunstable

Hospital and tell the Minister that

the merger is proceeding well. But

they do need £150 million of

capital, and if I could ask a

favourable consideration for that

from the Budget.

Well, he is aware

that the Chancellor has provided a

package of £10 billion in the Budget

to be invested in the NHS, of which

3.9 billion will come from the

Treasury. All bids for capital are

being assessed through the STP

prism, of which his area will be

making a proposal, and it will be

assessed with three others and as

far as I'm aware there is no such

proposal as yet being made to

energising them. But it will be

looked at in due course.

Try to get

a single sentence questions and

answers.

There is a private mental

health hospital in agency where a

woman was inviting staff and

patients with MRSA. Since then there

have been numerous inspections about

children having access to ligatures

and medicines in order to overdose.

Will he commit to a policy to make

sure that no child or young person

placed in a mental health facility

deemed unsafe?

I thank her for

raising this issue, she and I have

met to discuss this before and she

is right to highlight the ongoing

inspections and issues and I have

written to her to offer to discuss

this with her again. It is

unacceptable that anybody is placed

in a facility which is deemed

unsafe.

I think M on behalf of my

constituent for Alinghi remedial

order for single parents agates,

Cathy assure me they will do

everything they get this through

Parliament as quickly as possible?

I

would like to say that an all-party

Parliamentary group has been

established, I believe this week, to

take the issue for another look

forward to speaking to that group if

invited next month. The intention is

that this order will follow due

Parliamentary process, which

involves being laid for 60 days, and

a double and a further 60 days.

With

15,000 violent assaults on mental

health workers across the West

Midlands in the last five years,

what is the Government's response to

the Care Quality Commission's

opposition to routine searches for

weapons of all mental Health Service

users, on admission or return to

acute inpatient units?

I have a lot

of sympathy for what he says. We are

putting a lot of effort now into

patient safety and staff safety in

mental health trusts. We are

discovering there is a wide

variation in practices. He makes a

very important point and if I may I

will write to him with the progress.

The patient transport service in

Northern Lincolnshire is provided,

contracted deterrence and blood

service, who are failing miserably

to meet an adequate standard. Will

he meet with me and other

neighbouring MPs to discuss what

influence the department can bring

to bear on the situation?

I am happy

to do so.

I appreciate the

commitment of colleagues.

This has

overrun but I feel colleagues will

go ahead only if they ask the

questions may have been answers. I

miss Jimmy grateful to the teams on

both sides. Dennis Skinner.

Is the

Secretary of State aware that the

course of hour, there have been more

questions about hospital closures

than almost anything else?

Stretching from East Yorkshire,

Berwick on this site, Warwickshire

on the other side, they call in

Derbyshire, there is a growing

suspicion that what this Secretary

of State is up to is to leave them

to lose all those bed in the

hospitals for so that the private

sector can move in and take the lot.

That is what is going to happen!

I

do thank the honourable gentleman

for his Christmas cheer. Let me say

to him that if that was the

intention of the Government we have

not have found an extra £2.8 billion

for the NHS in the Budget. Including

£1.95 million for Chesterfield

hospital, which will benefit his own

constituents.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Half of young people do not use a

condom with a new partner. One in

ten young adults never use a condom.

Giving a chance of an unwanted

pregnancy or indeed an STD. Please

can the Department do something

about making sure people are aware

of the benefits?

Men may not be very

good at wrapping this, but they need

to get it right. There was a

campaign launched last week to help

reduce rates among 16 to

24-year-olds. Can I encourage young

people while they are having fun

this Christmas to do so sensibly?

There is an increasing trend for

women sharing breastmilk over the

internet. Without any recourse to

guidelines used for milk banking.

Will the Minister meet with me and

other members to discuss this matter

further to ensure breastmilk can be

assured safely? -- share.

As she

says, it is important we ensure that

anything that happens in this space

is indeed safe. I would be pleased

to meet with her and the all-party

group.

Members can have a question

of one sentence each, no more.

What

funding is being made available to

our mental health services to make

the emotional demands placed upon it

by changes to the Mental Health Act,

which came into force on December

the 11th this year?

I can reassure

her that we are putting a lot of

extra funding into mental health,

£575 million last year alone to meet

those and other obligations was the

NHS property services exist on a

merry-go-round of taxpayers's

demonic, will he give a solid

Christmas present, close them down

and return control of the property

to local health communities?

I

understand why she says that and I

think that it is very to say that it

has been on a journey and if it

needs to do even better, but we also

want to make sure that NHS land is

made available for housing for NHS

staff.

Will the Minister consider

the NHS as a fund of last resort for

hospices like Barry hospice, silicon

operate at full capacity and played

a part in the delivery of social

care?

We often are a fund of last

resort for the hospice movement, and

perhaps this is the right note to

end, by