Tuesday Volume 492 12 May 2009 No. 74 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 12 May 2009 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2009 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; Tel: 0044 (0) 208876344; e-mail: [email protected] 663 12 MAY 2009 664 that the “making it better” reconfiguration of children House of Commons and maternity services across Greater Manchester will see four new state-of-the-art hospitals open this summer Tuesday 12 May 2009 in central Manchester, at a cost of £500 million. There will also be expanded facilities in north Manchester, Bolton, Oldham and south Manchester. Services will be The House met at half-past Two o’clock transferred in stages to ensure a smooth and efficient transition for patients and staff. PRAYERS Paul Rowen: I am sure that the Minister is aware that “making it better” is now over budget—the plan was for £60 million, but the figure is now £100 million—and [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] over schedule. What assurance can he give us that it is still fit for the purpose? Oral Answers to Questions Phil Hope: The hon. Gentleman may not know, but over the next three years the NHS in Greater Manchester plans to invest more than £100 million in new buildings to improve facilities for women, children and babies, HEALTH including new maternity units at North Manchester Mental Health Services (Sutton) general, Royal Bolton, Royal Oldham, St. Mary’s and Wythenshawe hospitals. In-patient children’s and maternity 1. Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD): services will be provided in eight new centres of excellence How much funding is planned for mental health services across Greater Manchester and the number of neonatal in the London borough of Sutton in 2010-11; and if he units will increase from two to three. The review was will make a statement. [274098] driven by clinicians, in particular the desire of doctors, nurses and midwives to improve safety. I commend The Minister of State, Department of Health (Phil them for the work they are doing. Hope): Mental health services receive funding from Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley) (Lab): The primary care trusts according to the priorities and consultation on the reconfiguration of children’s services needs of the local population. Sutton and Merton PCT and the associated discussions has lasted for more than and the Government organisation Working for Wellness a quarter of a century. Obviously not everyone is satisfied will invest £2.4 million over three years in improving with the outcome, but now that decisions have been access to psychological therapies. In 2010-11 Sutton made, it is important that the schedules set are kept to. and Merton PCT expects to spend £53.6 million on Will my hon. Friend assure me that that will happen mental health services, which represents 9.1 per cent. of and that the decisions made will not be changed? its allocated budget. Phil Hope: The local NHS bodies in Greater Manchester Tom Brake: The Minister may be aware of debates in are responsible for implementing the reconfiguration. It the House on the future of Henderson hospital and that has taken some time, but the results are now there for all a consultation entitled “Shaping the future: Supporting to see in both the hospitals that are opening now and people with complex personality disorder” is under way. the plans for the future. These are exciting times for the Can he reassure me that the model of a therapeutic Greater Manchester NHS, and all MPs on both sides of community with a residential component will be given the House representing constituencies in the area will reasonable consideration in plans for dealing with see their constituents benefit from the changes. I understand personality disorder, and will he receive from those my hon. Friend’s desire to ensure that the changes are dealing with Henderson hospital an update on the delivered on budget and on time. I shall make sure that future of that service? the local NHS bodies in Greater Manchester are aware of the strength of his feelings on the matter. Phil Hope: As the hon. Gentleman knows, Henderson hospital is temporarily closed because of falling demand Mr. Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire) (Con): and lack of clinical viability, but, as he says, that is The Minister may recall that when the proposals to shut subject to a consultation due to end on 27 July, to which obstetric units were made in January 2006, the consultation organisations and individuals can of course make document said: representations. The matter is obviously one for local “The birth rate nationally is falling”. decision making, but he has today drawn the House’s That was not true when it was written, and since then, attention to the services that he wants to be provided in in the space of two years, the number of births in future and I shall ensure that his representations are fed Greater Manchester has increased by 7 per cent. When into that local consultation. facts change, so can conclusions. Will Ministers therefore reconsider the plans to remove obstetric services from Maternity/Paediatric Services (Greater Manchester) Fairfield hospital in Bury and the Rochdale infirmary, the effect of which will be that, each year, well over 2. Paul Rowen (Rochdale) (LD): What recent progress 5,000 mothers living north of the M62 will be without has been made on the proposals to reconfigure maternity local access to full obstetric care? and paediatric services in Greater Manchester. [274099] Phil Hope: I always enjoy it when Opposition Members The Minister of State, Department of Health (Phil question the investment and reform being made under a Hope): Service reconfiguration is a matter for the local Labour Government. I remember that during the 18 years NHS. The North West strategic health authority reports of Conservative rule, hospital services in Greater 665 Oral Answers12 MAY 2009 Oral Answers 666 Manchester were pretty much abandoned. A great deal and bring outsourced out-of-hours provision back in-house? of thought and planning went into deciding the size of Failing that, should not the performance of organisations the new maternity units. Account has been taken of the be tracked much more closely by the Department of number of births, ongoing changes to maternity practice Health, so that our constituents are not left to the and projected birth rates. Taking all factors into account, mercies of cowboy clinicians? all the new maternity units will have the flexibility for additional capacity, should it be needed. That will allow Mr. Bradshaw: Decisions such as that taken by my the NHS in Greater Manchester to give women choice hon. Friend’s PCT are for local primary care trusts. I over where they wish to have their babies, which they have to challenge him on his interpretation of the would not have had under the Conservative party. National Audit Office findings and the Healthcare Commission’s findings. The NAO report did not find Out-of-Hours Primary Care any evidence of risk to patient safety in out-of-hours services, and it showed that eight out of 10 patients were satisfied. As I have said, the Healthcare Commission 3. Lorely Burt (Solihull) (LD): What assessment he report found significant improvements in performance has made of the standard of out-of-hours primary care since 2005. Neither of the reports found that there was in (a) Solihull constituency and (b) England; and if he variable performance between private and non-private will make a statement. [274100] providers. The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr. Ben Dr. Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest) (Ind): The vetting Bradshaw): The independent regulator, the Healthcare procedures referred to by the Minister must be hopelessly Commission, recently reviewed urgent and emergency inadequate to allow a cosmetic surgeon from Europe care in England. Solihull was given a rating of three—five who did not even know the correct dose of diamorphine being the highest and one the lowest—with out-of-hours to work in this country. He has admitted killing the services contributing to 25 per cent. of that score. The patient with a dose 10 times too great. Whatever vetting review found that, nationally, out-of-hours services had procedures we have are inadequate, and I ask the Minister improved significantly since 2005. Where the local NHS to take steps to improve them, particularly in relation to has concerns about the performance of its out-of-hours doctors coming from the European Community. providers, it must take urgent and robust action to address them. Mr. Bradshaw: As a doctor himself, the hon. Gentleman will know that this country has among the highest levels Lorely Burt: Following the death of Mr. David Gray of vetting of professionals of any country in the world. at the hands of Dr. Daniel Ubani, is it not the case that Employers have a legal duty to ensure that all doctors the Minister cannot give me an assurance for my whom they appoint are fit to practice, and all doctors, constituents in Solihull, or indeed for constituents anywhere including locums, must be on an official performers list, else, because there is no mechanism for assuring the and must be registered with the independent regulatory quality and consistency of out-of-hours service? Do not body, the General Medical Council. He is right: we are patients need some guarantee on what basic level of talking about an absolutely terrible case, for which the assistance they are likely to receive? doctor has been tried in his absence.