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Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Tuesday Volume 605 9 February 2016 No. 114 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 9 February 2016 £5·00 © 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/. 1417 9 FEBRUARY 2016 1418 “the future health of millions of children, the sustainability of the House of Commons NHS, and the economic prosperity of Britain all now depend on a radical upgrade in prevention and public health.” Tuesday 9 February 2016 How will the in-year cuts this year and the future 4% real cuts in public health help to achieve that objective? The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Jane Ellison: The challenge of being serious about prevention is one for the entire health and social care PRAYERS system. We acknowledge that, like many parts of government, public health grants have had to absorb some of the fiscal challenge. We are dealing with the [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] problems we inherited at the beginning of the coalition Government. Despite that, local authorities will receive £16 billion in public health grants alone over the spending review period, but that is not the only way we invest in Oral Answers to Questions prevention. On my many visits, I have seen some of the great work being done to work with local authorities, and I am confident of the great things they can do with that money. HEALTH 19. [903552] Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP): The Secretary of State was asked— Given the report by the Crisp commission, released in the last few days, on mental health provision and Public Health Grants treatments, can the Minister provide any assurance about the equitable treatment of physical and mental 1. Johnny Mercer (Plymouth, Moor View) (Con): health to ensure an equal allocation of funds? What steps his Department has taken to ensure that public health grants are spent only on public health Jane Ellison: There is rightly a great deal of attention responsibilities. [903534] on this area—more tier 4 beds have been commissioned, for example—but I want to stress what is being done in The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health my area of public health. Right at the heart of our new (Jane Ellison): The local authority public health grant is tobacco strategy, which we are beginning to work on, is ring-fenced and must be spent in line with published a concern for the inequity facing people suffering from grant conditions set by the Government. Local authority mental ill health in terms of smoking levels. I can chief executives and directors of public health are required reassure the hon. Lady that across the piece we are to certify that grant spend is in line with these conditions. considering how we can do more for those who suffer In addition, Public Health England further reviews with mental health problems. spending information, and local authority spend against the grant is subject to external audit. Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): Access Johnny Mercer: In 2014-15, my city of Plymouth to contraception is not only a fundamental right but a received £47 per head. Portsmouth, which is statistically cost-effective public health intervention—every £1 spent healthier, received £77 and Kensington and Chelsea got on contraception saves the NHS £11—yet the Government £136. I absolutely understand that this is a legacy issue are presiding over savage cuts to public health services. with the funding formula, and the Government are It is predicted that £40 million will be cut from sexual committed to dealing with it, but I cannot stress enough health services this financial year alone. Is that what the how important it is that we speed this up. How does the Minister means when she says the Government are Department plan to achieve this? The current situation serious about prevention? Why does she not finally is grossly unfair to my constituents. admit that these cuts not only make no financial sense but could put the nation’s health at risk? Jane Ellison: I applaud my hon. Friend for being a champion for public health in his community. We have Jane Ellison: I reject that analysis. It is for local had several conversations on this issue, and as he says, authorities to take decisions on local public health there are historical differences, of which I am conscious, spending, but they are mandated by legislation to in the levels of local public health spending. They commission open-access sexual health services that meet mostly arise from historical primary care trust spending the needs of their local population, and in fact there is a priorities. We have made some progress in addressing great deal of innovation around the country in how the matter, but, as regards future allocations, we are people are doing that. For example, in Leeds, they are considering a full range of factors, including the impact redesigning services to enable people to access sexual on inequalities and existing services. Those will be health. [Interruption.] The shadow Minister laughs, announced shortly. As I have told him before, the chief but the question of how much they would have invested executive of Public Health England is happy to talk to in the NHS goes unanswered by the Opposition—a him about the specific challenges facing his community, question that was never answered at the general election. and that offer remains open. On prevention, as I have said, the public health grant is not everything. In the next financial year alone, for Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab): example, the Department will spend £320 million on The NHS “Five Year Forward View” states that vaccines. We have introduced two world firsts: the child 1419 Oral Answers9 FEBRUARY 2016 Oral Answers 1420 flu programme and the meningitis B immunisation him to engage carefully with the future fit programme. programme. Right across the piece, this Government In the end, it is incredibly important to get the right are investing in prevention and in our NHS. answer for patients. My hon. Friend has been supportive of the process, but like him, I would like to see it Hospital Trusts: Special Measures concluded sooner rather than later. 2. Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con): Nigel Huddleston: Will the Secretary of State set out What progress his Department has made on improving for my Worcestershire constituents what impact the the performance of hospital trusts in special measures. putting of trusts into special measures is likely to have [903535] this year and what improvements can be expected when the trust exits special measures? 9. Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con): What progress his Department has made on improving Mr Hunt: The advantage of the special measures the performance of hospital trusts in special measures. programme is that we tend to make much faster progress [903542] in turning round hospitals in difficulty than used to happen in previous years. My hon. Friend will know 12. Nigel Huddleston (Mid Worcestershire) (Con): that, in the past five years, his local trust gained nearly What progress his Department has made on improving 50 more doctors and more than 100 more nurses. We the performance of hospital trusts in special measures. are making progress, but we need to do it much faster. [903545] The hospital will have my full support in getting these problems dealt with quickly. The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt): Eleven out of 27 hospitals have now exited special Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab): Walsall NHS trust measures, having demonstrated sustainable improvements has been placed into special measures, so what immediate in the quality of care. Overall, trusts put into special action can the Secretary of State take to ensure that the measures have recruited 1,389 more doctors and 4,402 more Manor hospital can recruit the vital staff in paediatrics nurses, with one estimate saying this has reduced mortality and A&E that it now needs—not agency staff, but rates by 450 lives a year. long-term fully employed staff? Rehman Chishti: Following the recent Care Quality Mr Hunt: The hon. Lady is absolutely right that one Commission report on the Medway hospital, the staff thing that can tip hospitals into special measures is and new chief executive are working hard to turn around having too high a proportion of staff from agencies so long, historic and deep problems. What further support that a trust cannot offer the continuity of care that can the Secretary of State and the Government offer the other trusts can. As for full-time doctors, there have hospital to help turn it around and get it out of special been an extra 83 at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust over measures? I thank the Secretary of State and his the past five years, along with 422 full-time nurses. An Department for the support they have given to the improvement director started this week and we are hospital so far. looking to find a buddy hospital, which is what I think will help most. When it comes to turning hospitals Mr Hunt: I thank my hon. Friend for his enormous round the fastest, we have found that having a partner support for that hospital, which has been through a hospital can have the biggest effect, as with Guy’s and very difficult patch. I had a long meeting with the chief St Thomas’s for the Medway. inspector of hospitals about the Medway yesterday. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that, over the past Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): Despite having a five years, we got 106 more doctors and 26 more nurses football team at the top of the premier league, the into the trust.
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