Tuesday Volume 618 20 December 2016 No. 85 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 20 December 2016 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2016 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1291 20 DECEMBER 2016 1292 Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East) (Lab): In a year House of Commons when the Health Secretary has spent quite a lot of time knocking clinicians, it is good to hear him speak so positively about them. After four years in the job, what Tuesday 20 December 2016 responsibility does he accept for the lack of suitably qualified individuals—not just clinicians—who are prepared The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock to take on the top jobs in the NHS on a permanent basis? PRAYERS Mr Hunt: I will tell the hon. Lady what I take responsibility for: more doctors, more nurses and more funding than ever before in the history of the NHS. We [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] know that the highest standards are often achieved when there is strong clinical leadership. Only 54% of managers in this country are clinicians, compared with Oral Answers to Questions 74% in Canada and 94% in Sweden. That is why it is right that we do everything we can to encourage more clinicians into leadership roles. HEALTH Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con): Does the Secretary of State agree that the clinical leadership involved in the Getting It Right First Time initiative is The Secretary of State was asked— important, not only because it will save £1.5 billion, Clinical Leadership which could be put back into patient care, but because patients will be in less pain and will end up having fewer revision operations, and some will even survive treatment 1. Lucy Allan (Telford) (Con): What plans he has that they would not otherwise have survived? made to improve the quality of clinical leadership in the NHS. [907972] Mr Hunt: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I thank The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt): him for bringing Professor Tim Briggs to see me to As we wish each other a merry Christmas, the whole explain just how superb this programme is. Infection House will also this morning remember the people of rates for orthopaedic surgery vary between one in 20 Berlin as they face up to yesterday’s horrific suspected patients in some trusts to one in 500 in others. Getting terrorist attack. Germany and its capital Berlin have this right can transform care for patients and save been beacons of freedom and tolerance in modern money at the same time. times, and all our thoughts and prayers are with them today. Mr Ben Bradshaw (Exeter) (Lab): I associate myself Evidence from all over the world suggests that higher with the Secretary of State’s comments about Berlin, standards of care for patients relate directly to the my one-time home. quality of clinical leadership, which was why last month Does the Secretary of State accept that we have the I announced a number of measures to increase the best clinical leaders anywhere in the world? The challenge number of doctors and nurses in leadership roles in the facing the NHS is not one of clinical leadership, or the NHS. dedication or skill of staff, but one of chronic underfunding by this Conservative Government. Lucy Allan: I thank my right hon. Friend for his response. Clinicians in Telford have been showing real Mr Hunt: We do indeed have superb clinical leaders, leadership by rejecting a proposal to close a brand new such as Marianne Griffiths at Worthing, which was women and children’sunit, and elements of our emergency recently given an outstanding rating. We also have services. The quango responsible for this idea has spent superb non-clinical leaders, such as David Dalton at £3 million and taken three years to come up with the Salford Royal. I would gently say to the right hon. proposal, which has been rejected by local people and Gentleman that if he is worried about funding, why did clinicians. Will my right hon. Friend meet me and my he stand in the election on a platform that would have local colleagues to bring an end to this farce, and to seen the NHS have £1.3 billion less this year? ensure that we do not continue in limbo any longer? Mr Hunt: I recognise the extent of my hon. Friend’s Mr Steve Baker (Wycombe) (Con): Will the Secretary campaigning on this issue in Telford, and that she of State ensure that clinical leaders are able to apply expresses the concerns of many of her constituents. As important techniques from other disciplines, such as she knows, service changes must be driven locally and lean production, which can drive up productivity? must have the support of local GP commissioners. She will also know that the actual situation, very frustratingly, Mr Hunt: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Clinical has not led to consensus between clinicians in different leadership is important, but so is openness to the parts of Telford and Shropshire. I agree that the process skills of other industries—particularly engineering has taken much too long, and I am more than happy to skills, with which he is very familiar—that can help us meet her and to try to bring this situation to a close as to get processes right so that we improve care and safety quickly as possible. for patients. 1293 Oral Answers 20 DECEMBER 2016 Oral Answers 1294 Dame Rosie Winterton (Doncaster Central) (Lab): Nicola Blackwood: The right hon. Gentleman is a Does the Secretary of State agree that if the board of great proponent of tackling the risk of diabetes. He Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation knows that the Government take tackling and preventing Trust agrees to establish a teaching hospital today, that diabetes extremely seriously.That is whywe have introduced will enable the trust to train its doctors of tomorrow so the world’s first national diabetes prevention programme, that they are more able to move into clinical leadership which we have piloted and are rolling out across the roles as quickly as possible? country. It includes not only education programmes but testing, and we are making sure that we use the evidence Mr Hunt: I thank the right hon. Lady for her question from the programme to bring about improvement and and welcome Doncaster hospital’s aspirations and that we are rolling it out effectively. ambitions. Any final decision will obviously be a matter for the NHS and Health Education England, but it is Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): We very encouraging that it is reaching for the stars in this are all in favour of evidence-based medicine. We are way. Yes, we do need to train more doctors, and I hope also in favour of decent resources for the national that the hospital can make a good contribution. health service but, in the case of Huddersfield and Calderdale hospitals, what we want is good, high-quality Mr Speaker: The constituency of the hon. Member management, rather than GPs being promoted to a for Bassetlaw (John Mann) was just mentioned and he managerial position that they cannot handle. came in on cue. Unfortunately, he was not within the curtilage of the Chamber at the material time. No Mr Speaker: In relation to evidence-based medicine. doubt we will hear from him at a later date, to which we look forward with eager anticipation. Nicola Blackwood: The hon. Gentleman is a great advocate of evidence-based medicine and I am pleased Evidence-based Medicine to hear about his support for it. He will be pleased that the national leadership programme is one of the evidence- based programmes that we are rolling out to improve 2. David Tredinnick (Bosworth) (Con): What his the leadership of the NHS across the country. Department’s definition is of evidence-based medicine; and if he will make a statement. [907973] Antimicrobial Resistance The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Nicola Blackwood): Evidence-based medicine is about 3. Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): How using high-quality research to guide clinical practice the Government plan to show global leadership in and to achieve optimal results for all patients. The tackling antimicrobial resistance. [907974] National Institute for Health and Care Excellence plays an important role in supporting evidence-based medicine 12. Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con): by translating research into authoritative guidance for How the Government plan to show global leadership in healthcare professionals on best practice. tackling antimicrobial resistance. [907983] 14. Chris Green (Bolton West) (Con): How the David Tredinnick: Is the Minister aware that the Government plan to show global leadership in tackling author of “Evidence-based Medicine” in 1992, Professor antimicrobial resistance. [907986] David Sackett, said that it is “about integrating individual clinical experience and the best The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health external evidence, not just internal evidence”? (Nicola Blackwood): The UK is already a global leader Is she further aware that in respect of the interpretation in the fight against AMR. This Government’s leadership of evidence-based medicine, I have reported the so-called has secured a UN declaration on AMR and a commitment Good Thinking Society to the Charity Commission for from the G20 to drive the development of new the abuse of its charitable status through its use of legal antimicrobials. We will continue to deliver international threats to force the Department and health providers to programmes to tackle AMR, including the Fleming change the law on healthcare? fund and the Global AMR innovation fund, which represent more than £300 million of investment over Nicola Blackwood: NICE obviously considers the next five years.