Cost of Living: Public Well-being

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Thursday 20th October 2022 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Primarolo (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Drake on initiating this very timely debate, given the challenges that our communities face. Many of the speeches today have been very detailed and, with great eloquence, have explained the cause at the heart of why so many people’s well-being is not what we would want it to be. That is down to the economic choices that this Government have made—the economic choices that they claimed they had to make, for which there was no alternative. Many of the contributions have detailed what the alternatives are, and they are still there for the Minister to take.

Understanding people’s experience is crucial for the credibility and accountability of public policy and, perhaps even more important for me, for the functioning of a democracy. When people believe that the Government do not know or care what their experience is, if people believe that their interests will never be represented, in my view their faith in the institutions of democracy is fundamentally undermined. This Government are playing fast and loose not only with the economy and our futures but with the very principles of democracy in our society. Why should you vote if it never makes a difference? Why should you vote or participate if no one cares about or values your experience and tries to ameliorate it? Why would you vote if you believed there was no justice in our society because the Government believe that if you give money to the people who have the most, somehow that will benefit all of us in the future?

The relentless rise in the cost of living has already taken a terrible toll on the well-being of many people in this country, particularly those on lower incomes. Measurements of well-being are about how well a person’s life is going, how they perceive themselves and how they experience their lives. What they are seeing is that the cost of living crisis, as it continues to deepen through 2023 and 2024, will fundamentally change their lives. How can it be right that a Government sacrifice their citizens’ well-being for an economic policy that does not even work, and change their minds about what it should be just about every day?

We live in a society where pensioners live in fear of not being able to pay their bills, and families are terrified that they are going to lose their homes. Across the country, millions of households are fretting about how they are going to pay for rising food and energy costs. First-time buyers cruelly had their opportunities to buy a house snatched away by the Government’s mini-Budget, after years when they had scrimped and saved for a home. People cannot afford to pay private rents because they are too high, and local authorities are unable to provide social housing for the many, which they desperately want to do. Child poverty is rising. Children are living in homes which cannot afford to be heated, without enough nutrition and food for their development. Children, who are the responsibility of all of us, are having their life chances snatched away from them before they have even had the opportunity to develop their potential.

The noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, referred to the British Psychological Society’s survey about people’s attitudes to their well-being. I looked at the OECD figures, which make shocking reading. Shame on us that these figures show us below the average of OECD members. The share of the population at risk of depression—31%—is a very big number out of 68 million, and the share of the population at risk of anxiety is also 31%. The share of the population with very low life satisfaction is 9%. The figures show inequality between top earners and the bottom growing and growing. Inequalities between men and women in the UK, on every measurement, are below the OECD.

As the noble Lord, Lord O’Donnell, said, this is not difficult to put right. There are alternatives. What are the Government going to do to reverse the downward trend on well-being? What policies will they put in place to build financial resilience, including benefit up-rating and investment in our public services? What policies will the Government bring forward—assuming they are still in power next week—to restore the quality of life of households, reduce stress and reduce anxiety, give people confidence for tomorrow, next week and next year, and give them hope that actually their lives will get better? If the Minister cannot answer those questions and cannot lay that out to this House today, this Government do not deserve to be in power and a general election should be called.

NHS England: Waiting Lists

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Tuesday 16th November 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

When you look at the data on the waiting lists, what is interesting is that 75% of patients on the list do not require surgical treatment. Most actually require diagnostics. Some 80% of patients requiring surgical treatment could be treated without an overnight stay in hospital, and 20% of patients are waiting for either ophthalmology or orthopaedic services. That shows where you can target the spending to cut the waiting lists.

[Baroness Primarolo (Lab)]

My Lords, returning to my noble friend Lady Thornton’s point about social care workers, does the Minister agree that it is unacceptable that social care workers are leaving the sector to work in hospitality, supermarkets and other sectors because they are paid more and are given bonuses to attract them? Will the Government now agree—bearing in mind the contribution that more care workers can make to easing the pressures on the NHS this winter—to pay a bonus to care workers over the winter months to show we prize their skills and dedication, as recommended by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and NHS Providers, and to relieve pressures on the NHS?

[Noble Lords]

Too long!

[Baroness Primarolo (Lab)]

Will the Minister agree? Yes or no?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

I hope that the noble Baroness will allow me as much time as her question took to answer. The Government have announced at least £500 million over three years to support the workforce and fund various initiatives. One thing that we are looking at in the Health and Care Bill is how we make sure that workers in the social care sector, whether in private or state-funded institutions, make sure that they earn enough. We have also launched a Made with Care programme, a publicity campaign to encourage people into the social care sector. It involves many existing social care workers, who talk about what a rewarding job it is and how they can make a difference in people’s lives.

Covid-19: Self-isolation Payment Scheme

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd September 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bethell (Con)]

My Lords, the payment itself will not affect existing benefits in any way. Payments through the scheme will, though, be subject to income tax and some form of national insurance contribution, in line with other support payments such as through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

[Baroness Primarolo (Lab) [V]]

My Lords, I return to the question asked by my noble friend Lady Lister. What was the evidence base for the decision that £13 a day would be sufficient to persuade low-paid workers to forgo their earnings and therefore self-isolate? The Minister did not answer the question the first time round; perhaps he could answer it now. What were the criteria?

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Let me give Members guidance about how long we have for this debate. The wind-ups will start at 6.30 pm, so I do not think it necessary to have a time limit as long as Members take about 10 minutes each, including interventions. If everyone takes 15 or 16 minutes, we will not fit every Member in. We do not need a time limit just yet, but if those speaking could aim for 10 to 12 minutes, including interventions, that would be helpful.

Health Service Commissioner for England (Complaint Handling) Bill

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Friday 27th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Chope]

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment 3, in clause 1, page 1, line 7, after ‘Commissioner’ insert—

‘before the end of that period’.

Amendment 4, page 1, line 8, at end insert—

‘together with an estimate of the target date for completion of the investigation.’

Amendment 1, page 1, line 8, at end insert—

‘(b) The Commissioner shall subsequently keep the complainant informed, as far as reasonably practicable, as to the progress of the investigation.’

Amendment 5, page 1, line 8, at end insert—

‘( ) If the reason for the delay specified in Section 2HA is lack of financial resources it shall be the duty of the Commissioner to set out the action which is being taken to remedy that lack of financial resource’.

Amendment 2, page 1, line 15, leave out ‘, and’ and insert—

‘(ba) the reasons for each of those delays, and’.

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[Mr Nuttall]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

I call Mr David Arbuthnot. I’m sorry—James.

--- Later in debate ---

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

To equal out my mistake, I suppose that I should call James Nuttall. [Laughter.] But I won’t. I will call David Nuttall and apologise to Mr Arbuthnot for my mistake.

Epilepsy

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Thursday 26th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. We are running out of time for this debate. I want to be fair to all Members, so I am reducing the time limit to seven minutes. If there are not too many interventions, it will not be necessary to reduce it further.

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Laura Sandys) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on securing this important debate and giving us all the opportunity to contribute on behalf of our constituents. I particularly thank my hon. Friend for bringing her experience and for what she has done during her time here, and I echo the sentiment that it is a shame she will not be coming back to carry that on. Other people will have to do that, and I am sure right hon. and hon. Members will do that here.

It is important to start by saying that my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health has taken a real interest in epilepsy and that he and his colleagues have introduced significant improvements in this Parliament. Equally, the NHS Commissioning Board’s decision to introduce a national clinical director for neurological conditions, Dr David Bateman, has been positive in ensuring that epilepsy is on the agenda at the most senior level in the NHS.

In February 2013 we saw the publication of the NICE new quality standards for children and adults with epilepsy. I also welcome cross-departmental working, and the fact that the Department for Education is looking at better support for pupils in school diagnosed with epilepsy. There is still a lot to do, and still too much of a sense that care is good in some areas and poor in others; that has to be a priority for the next Government.

I am proud that Epilepsy Action, an excellent organisation, is based in Leeds. Its headquarters are in Yeadon, an area that I represent. The office is about 100 yards over the border in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew). We share Yeadon, but we are both proud that this wonderful national charity is based in Yeadon in north Leeds. I will not repeat the findings of its powerful survey, except to reiterate one figure. Of the clinical commissioning groups that responded, 70% said that they had not produced and had no plans to develop a written needs assessment of the health and social care needs for epilepsy. That is simply not good enough and it has to change, and quickly. I urge my hon. Friend the Minister in the time that he has remaining to make it clear that that is not acceptable and must change.

Every health and wellbeing board must know how many people in their area have epilepsy and develop an epilepsy section for their joint strategic needs assessment, and that should include information about current local provision and services and future needs. Health and wellbeing boards must also work with their local CCGs to ensure that adults and children in their area experience a joined-up approach to their epilepsy health care needs. Every local authority scrutiny board with responsibility for health must consider whether their JSNA adequately meets the needs of adults and children with epilepsy in their local area.

I am delighted to tell my right hon. Friend the Minister that the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS trust—this is not me saying it, but my constituents and practitioners tell me—is one of the best trusts in the country for supporting those who have epilepsy. We are proud of that. The trust has a team providing specialist epilepsy care and advice for people in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region, and as well as the medical treatment of epilepsy it runs an epilepsy surgery pathway for people with difficult-to-treat epilepsy. It has specialist brain tumour and vagal nerve stimulation clinics. I hope that my right hon. Friend will join me in recognising that Leeds is a centre of excellence for epilepsy. If, in the remaining five weeks while he is definitely in this particular job he has the time to come and visit to meet some of the people involved, I would find time in my diary to join him.

Like many other Members, I have learned from my constituents about epilepsy. My constituent Dominic Ware and his parents Vic and Carol have given me their permission to pass on some of what I have learned from them. My constituent Andy Cavadino also has epilepsy. They have enabled me to see both the good and the issues that need dealing with.

Andy Cavadino’s epilepsy developed over 10 years after a serious head injury. The two main issues affecting him relate to driving and to medication. As a teacher, he finds it frustrating that he is allowed to drive a people carrier but not a minibus. He wants there to be a much more transparent discussion about what vehicles can and should be driven by people with epilepsy. The second issue that he raises has already been covered by other hon. Members. People have an attitude to those with epilepsy; they are often nervous and on edge around people with epilepsy. As Andy told me, people sometimes say, “Take it easy.” We need to raise awareness that people with epilepsy are generally on medication, if they need to be, and that that is helpful. We must do more to fight the sense of concern, paranoia and stigma that is attached to people such as Andy.

Dominic Ware’s epilepsy has been a huge part of his life and that of his parents, Vic and Carol. It is something that they have to cope with. The care that Dominic has received in Leeds has saved his life and now enables him to lead a normal life, which is precisely what needs to happen. However, they and especially Vic, who is a passionate campaigner, know that for too many people, that is not the case. During the debate, we have heard of people who, unlike Dominic, have been failed, often with devastating effects, and that is simply not acceptable. Will my right hon. Friend the Minister support Vic’s call that whoever forms the next Government should appoint an epilepsy champion in the Department of Health to bring things together so that there is a single, strong voice in government to push the issue forward?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order.

NHS (Government Spending)

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Wednesday 28th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Chris Leslie]

There you have it, Madam Deputy Speaker. Government Members are not concerned in any way about the state of the NHS or about GPs, but only about asking questions about procedure and process. I am here today because the shadow Treasury team, like every shadow departmental team on the Labour Front Bench, is committed to supporting our NHS and to making sure that we get the investment that is needed.

Why is the situation so fragile? The Government scrapped NHS Direct and fragmented it into 46 separate, cut-price 111 contracts, which does not ensure that 60% of calls are dealt with by medical staff. That figure is now down to 20%. It is no wonder patients are so quickly being driven back to—[Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Minister, I heard what you said to your Back Benchers and it is out of order. The hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier) will disregard the advice from the Minister. I will not embarrass the Minister by saying exactly what it was, but I will not hear him say it again.

[Chris Leslie]

That is rather curious, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would be quite interested to know what the Minister was saying. Perhaps the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier) heard it. What did the Minister say to him?

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[Tim Loughton]

I am delighted to intervene because the shadow Secretary of State, who has now appeared, mentioned that in his car crash interview last night. I do not know if the shadow Chief Secretary has been to Worthing or has looked at the contract, but it made no difference in money terms. As it happens, I opposed the contract, as did my hon. Friend the Member for Worthing West (Sir Peter Bottomley), because there was no impact study. As a result, we will now get a better service—run by the hospital—that is more seamless for patients. Will the shadow Chief Secretary apologise?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Interventions must be brief. Mr Leslie, get back to your speech.

[Chris Leslie]

I think we got the gist of the intervention. The hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) opposed such competition, but I think he voted for it in the Health and Social Care Bill. He has his own demons to worry about on that.

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[Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) (Lab)]

A moment ago, my hon. Friend was talking about the risks of privatisation. I know he shares my concerns about health services in Nottingham. What advice does he have for the voters of Nottingham who, as a result of the outsourcing of our hospital’s world-renowned dermatology department, which was then broken up, can no longer access acute dermatology services locally? How should our constituents vote on 7 May? [Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Mr Garnier, I am not going to tell you again. You are on a warning now. You make lots of interventions. Members show you respect, and I expect you to show it to others when they make their points.

[Chris Leslie]

That is so unlike the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mark Garnier), and very out of character.

My hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood) is a doughty fighter for NHS patients in our city of Nottingham. She knows very well that we have been trying our best, in working with local trusts, to press them to ensure that such services are safeguarded. Ultimately, when our constituents see the Government passing legislation encouraging trusts to move a private income level of 2% to potentially 49%, and when they see the pressure trusts are under, they are not surprised that many such problems are occurring in our area. It is only through making sure that we find resources and channel them towards investment for the care needs in our NHS that we will deal with those pressures.

--- Later in debate ---

[Barbara Keeley]

I am pointing at myself.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Mr Heaton-Harris, will you allow the intervention to take place? I am sure you will have a chance to join the debate when you catch my eye later. However, I do not want interventions to be overlong either, because we do not have much time left in the debate. Barbara Keeley, will you therefore please be brief?

[Barbara Keeley]

Will the Minister address the issue of delayed discharges and the impact of cutting community resources? We have touched on social care in general practice, funding for which has really been cut, but the big issue that comes up again and again before the Health Select Committee concerns the loss of thousands of district nurses. I heard yesterday that in the north-west agencies do not even have supply district nurses. Will he address the matter of those community resources? He is talking about community care for the elderly and vulnerable. What will be done about district nurses?

National Health Service

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. I should inform Members that 28 Back Benchers are seeking to take part in the debate this afternoon. I hope that it will not be necessary to have time limits, but I ask each Member to consider speaking for only eight minutes approximately, or 10 minutes maximum. If any Member speaks for too long, it will subsequently be necessary to have a time limit, which could be quite severe on the last few speakers. That would be unfortunate, so if that could be borne in mind and if Members watched the clock, that would help enormously.

Contaminated Blood

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. Before I call any more speakers, it may not have escaped the notice of Members that there is a problem with the clocks in terms of each Member’s allotted time this afternoon. May I reassure Members that I will also be timing speeches to ensure that they have the correct amount of time and are not short-changed? I appreciate that seven minutes is a short period of time. If the clock indicates that you do not have any more time, I advise you to keep talking until I ask you to resume your seat. I understand entirely that this is not what normally happens, but I want to be fair to every Member. Hopefully, the fault will be corrected. None the less, Members should keep an eye on when they start speaking. Adding seven minutes to the clock is not really that challenging, I hope.

Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Bill

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Friday 7th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[George Freeman]

My hon. Friend makes another important point about the role of leadership in the culture change that we are seeking to drive. I believe all hon. Members would acknowledge the Secretary of State’s personal commitment to this crusade for patient safety, and it is symptomatic of the level of leadership that is required. If the leader—the accountable senior executive—in every trust and organisation in the NHS makes clear their personal commitment to this agenda, it helps to change the culture and to create the conditions in which the reporting of patient safety issues and concerns is welcomed and encouraged.

Safety is also a critical component of the CQC’s new inspection regime and one of the five key questions the chief inspectors ask when rating the quality of services. Currently, it is at the Secretary of State’s discretion as to whether registration requirements should cover safety of care. Clause 1 removes that discretion and instead places a duty on the Secretary of State to impose registration requirements about safety of care. We welcome that duty, because it absolutely fits with the Government’s wider commitment to putting patient safety right at the heart of our health and care system. The duty will cover all providers registered with the CQC across health and, importantly, adult social care, and will help ensure that no avoidable harm will come to patients and service users when they are being provided with a regulated service. It is important to say at this point that the duty will not place an obligation on the Secretary of State to ensure that care or treatment is risk-free—no Secretary of State could ever give that undertaking. Health care provision is of its nature a risky business and can be so. Chemotherapy, for example, saves lives but can have significant side effects. A test of reasonableness must be applied in assessing whether harm is avoidable. The registration requirements that are before Parliament do cover safety and will allow the CQC to take action against poor providers in a way that has not been possible up to now. The Government therefore welcome the clause, which reinforces what the regulations are seeking to achieve and will ensure that the key message of safety and harm reduction runs consistently through the CQC regulation, and across the system as a whole, for years to come.

Clauses 2 and 3 deal with the key changes requiring a common identifier and imposing the duty to inform other health care professionals along the care pathway. Far too often in the health care system, patients lead and their information follows and, particularly as patients migrate between primary, hospital and community care, they and often their loved ones are left driving the patient journey without access to the necessary information. Too often, the health care professionals do not have access to the very latest information on the treatment that their patient has received in another part of our health and care system. That is why we welcome the clauses.

Clauses 2 and 3 concern the sharing of information by providers and commissioners to support people’s direct care and treatment, as an essential part of the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care. The sharing of timely, accurate and relevant information facilitates the provision of integrated care and treatment tailored to people’s needs and wishes, yet we know that that sharing does not always happen as it should. Anxiety about information governance and data protection can stifle the sharing of information between staff and organisations working together to care for an individual. Clauses 2 and 3 will require that providers and commissioners of publicly funded health and adult social care share the information which is so essential to the delivery of safe and high-quality care. That will relate only to the way in which information is shared by organisations directly involved in an individual’s direct care.

Clause 2 places a duty on providers and commissioners, within scope, to record and use consistent identifiers in people’s health and care records and correspondence. There is a requirement to include the identifier when sharing information with other organisations directly involved in that individual’s care. Clause 3—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. May I say to the Minister that he does not need to explain the whole Bill; the promoter has already done that. The Government have said that they support the Bill, so I am at a bit of a loss as to why the Minister does not appear to be giving us any new information, but is reiterating what has already been said. Perhaps he could clarify some things a bit more, but we do not need a commentary on every clause.

[George Freeman]

I completely understand, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I do not intend to give you a commentary on every line of the Bill; that happens in Committee. However, given that the Government are supporting this private Member’s Bill, I thought it was important that, as part of our wider commitment, I set out why and on what basis we are supporting it, and give some guidance to the House on where in Committee there may be differences and where and why the Government are taking the view that they are. None the less, I will heed your comments and ensure that I keep my remarks at an appropriate high level.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. I absolutely agree with the Minister. We would be interested to hear any qualifications from the Government and where they were, as that would give the House time to consider what will be occurring in Committee. I look forward to hearing him say that.

[George Freeman]

It is important to recognise that clauses 2 and 3 relate only to how information is shared by organisations involved in an individual’s direct care. My hon. Friend made the point that this Bill is solely focused on the needs of the patient; it is not in any way about the Government or the NHS seeking to collect information for any other purpose other than to ensure that patient care is first and foremost in the system.

Clause 3 places an express duty on direct care providers and commissioners of publicly funded health and adult social care. When providing care to an individual, organisations within scope would be required to ensure that the relevant information is shared with staff within their organisation, and also within other organisations along the care pathway, where it is in the individual’s best interests. That duty would apply only if it directly facilitated the individual’s care and if it was in his or her best interest. That will not only support the delivery of safe, effective and integrated care, but improve people’s experience of their care and support, sparing them the frustration of having to tell their story over and over again as they move along the care pathway.

Simply sharing is not enough. To realise fully the benefits of sharing information, it is vital that the information shared is accurate, relevant and timely. In order to provide safe and high quality care, especially where it is urgent or where multiple care teams are involved, information needs to follow the person, so that professionals can access the right information at the right time. Using a consistent identifier is essential to that aim, as it ensures that the information being shared relates to the right individual.

A number of people have asked about the common identifier. Clause 2 places a duty on the Secretary of State to make regulations that will specify the consistent identifier to be used. It is the intention of the Government that the prescribed identifier should be the NHS number.

The universal use of the NHS number is a long-standing priority of the Department. Ensuring that records include a person’s NHS number, especially when they move between providers on their care pathway, is vital to the safety and quality of care. A number of Members asked about our view of the appropriate identifier. We believe that consistent use of the NHS number will facilitate the co-ordination of care, reduce errors and support the integration of records.

Ensuring a reliable and seamless transfer of information is all the more vital when the patient is a vulnerable person. That vulnerable person could be an elderly patient with dementia and many complex needs, for whom large institutions can be difficult to navigate at the best of times. I must stress that these duties are strictly limited to sharing for direct care purposes, with only those organisations directly involved in the provision of care, and only where it is in the patient’s interests.

Let me be clear: this will not permit or require sharing of information for any other purpose. The duty would not apply where there were good reasons for it not to apply. Such reasons could include: when an individual objects to his or her information being shared, or to his or her NHS number being used; where the individual would be likely to object; or when an individual receives, or may receive, services, such as sexual health services, anonymously.

[George Freeman]

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. As he is aware, there are a number of initiatives on data across the health and care system, which is why the Secretary of State has appointed Dame Fiona Caldicott to advise the Government and to look at the pilots that NHS England is currently running on the care.data programme. It is important that the data provisions of this Bill and the confidentiality provisions and guarantees are closely examined in Committee and that there is no confusion over the purposes for which the data provisions are being used, which are solely to do with patient safety.

Clause 4 creates a power for the Secretary of State to make regulations to exclude certain persons or their functions that would take them outside the scope of the new duties for continuity of information. The Government intend to make regulations that will exclude providers and commissioners of children’s social care and providers and commissioners of children’s health care within the Department for Education’s purview. Those exclusions will include local authorities and other organisations exercising educational functions and children’s social service functions, children’s homes and residential family centres, fostering and adoption support agencies and certain schools, nurseries and educational institutions. I am delighted to tell the House that the Department of Health and the Department for Education are working together to support information sharing and use of the NHS number, where appropriate, by those organisations.

The use of patient data can arouse significant public concern and controversy and lead to highly charged debates. The public rightly expect to see their data held securely and used only for their benefit. That sits full square at the heart of these proposals, which is why NHS England has taken back the care.data proposals to review, revise and pilot, and why we have appointed Dame Fiona Caldicott. The information-sharing provisions of this Bill are solely concerned with the sharing of information between health and care providers where it is in an individual’s direct care interests.

To summarise, the consistent patient identifier and information-sharing provisions will support three key things: better informed care decisions, leading to care and treatment being better tailored to people’s needs and preferences, and better health and care outcomes; safer care, with a reduced likelihood of errors, adverse events and sub-optimal care stemming from a lack of information;, and improved experience of care, with individuals being called upon less often to repeat their story, and having increased confidence that the person caring for them has all the information that they need.

Let me turn now to the third and final section of the Bill, which deals with the regulation for the Professional Standards Authority and the professional regulator. We welcome these clauses, which will bring in a consistent objective for the PSA and for the regulators of certain health and care professionals, including dentists, nurses, midwives and opticians.

That will ensure that public protection is at the heart of what the regulators do. This measure is about not changing what the PSA or the professional regulators do in relation to professional regulation, but ensuring a coherent, strategic approach by them in the performance of their functions. Patients and the public need to understand the role and purpose of the organisations that regulate our health professionals in order to have confidence in what the regulators do. Having clear and consistent objectives is vital to that.

Let me touch now on the automatic erasure provisions, which my hon. Friend said had been withdrawn. The intent of the policy is to enable the regulators automatically to erase from a professional register individuals tried and convicted of certain serious crimes. However, it would be necessary to amend the existing statutory framework for each of the regulators properly to achieve the policy and would result in a Bill that is much longer and more complex than is usually acceptable for a private Member’s Bill. In the light of that, and given the complexity of the drafting required to achieve the policy, we took the position that automatic erasure should not be taken forward.

Automatic erasure was one of the areas considered by the Law Commission in its review of the regulation of health professionals. The Government remain committed to legislating on this important issue at the earliest opportunity. We have explored all other possible legislative options for taking forward issues arising from that piece of work and therefore propose to take forward automatic erasure in a future parliamentary Session alongside other measures in response to the Law Commission’s review. The long title of the Bill, which sets its scope, specifically mentions the intention to provide for automatic erasure, but I believe that my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford has indicated his intention to table an amendment in Committee to remove that from the long title.

When I talk to people about the Bill, I am asked one or two key questions, which I believe those watching the debate will want to hear us answer, and which the hon. Member for Copeland has asked me to deal with. The first is, “Are my medical records already shared with others involved in my care?” Unfortunately, the sharing of information about one’s care is not as widespread in the system as it needs to be. Those who use the NHS the most often are often those who have the most to remember. It can be very frustrating for health professionals, and too often that lack of information is involved in the misdiagnosis and the mistakes that my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford spoke of.

The second question that we are often asked is, “Don’t these regulators already put patient safety at the heart of everything they do?” The CQC and the professional regulators are all there primarily to protect us. The measures in the Bill are not a reflection of any failure in that respect. However, these organisations are given legitimacy through legislation; their remit and ability to act are defined in law, and it is important, we believe, that their legislative basis is explicit about their respective roles and duties in public safety. It is not our intention that the Bill, if it becomes law, should result in a dramatic change to the way in which the regulators operate on a day-to-day basis. We know that they are already focused on patient safety. The Bill enshrines that focus and ensures that those organisations are never hindered in their important work.

The Bill is a big step forward. I urge hon. Members from both sides of the House to support it.

Later in the year, we shall publish a comprehensive update on achievements to date and the progress towards Sir Robert Francis’s vision of a system delivering safe, compassionate care.

The events at Mid Staffs were a shocking reminder of the systemic failings in patient safety and care that occur when the culture and practice of healthcare institutions cease to prioritise the human, the compassionate and the cultural aspects of health care. I am delighted to support the Bill, which fits very well with the Secretary of State’s crusade for accountability, transparency and patient safety. It complements the measures that we are putting in place, as a Government, to support patient empowerment, to integrate health and care, and to meet the need for seamless information that follows patients, rather than patients so often traversing the care pathway without that information to hand.

There are two other questions that I was—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. With respect to the Minister, I spoke to him nearly 15 minutes ago with regard to his comments on the Bill. He has now been speaking for 37 minutes to tell us how much the Government agree with the Bill. There are other Bills to be debated this morning. I tried asking the Minister very nicely and gently. Now I am saying to the Minister directly that it is not his job to use up time in the House. Could he please conclude what are the major points on the Bill?

[George Freeman]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I have concluded my prepared remarks. I just want to deal, if I may, with the questions that were asked of me in the House.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

With respect to the Minister, he should have integrated those into his remarks on the Bill, because I presume he was listening to the comments of the other speakers. He has now been speaking for nearly as long as the rest of the debate, and this is not really acceptable, Minister, given that there are other Bills to be debated this morning, and that this Bill seems to have the wholehearted support of the Department. The word succinct must be in the Minister’s mind, which means brief, and I will interrupt him again if he is not.

[George Freeman]

Thank you for that clarification, Madam Deputy Speaker. In that case, perhaps it would be appropriate for me to list the questions now and then deal with them by writing to Members.

There were important questions about the Law Commission, some of which I have addressed, but I will write more fully. The hon. Member for Copeland asked me about the duty of candour dropped under pressure from professionals. If he is happy, I will drop him a line on that. The hon. Gentleman also asked about the care.data issue. I think I have dealt with that in my comments, but he should feel free to contact me if there are any omissions. There were important comments about the BMA, Madam Deputy Speaker, which I am taking your guidance to mean I should not address. Its briefing arrived on my desk this morning, and obviously I will look at it very carefully and write to Members with our position on the concerns that it has raised, although I note that its report also seems to have a lot of support for the intent of the Bill.

Lastly, there was a question about making data sharing much more consistent. I want to confirm that the Department of Health is working with our partners, and will produce guidance to support compliance across the system.

On that basis, Madam Deputy Speaker, following your guidance, I express again our support for this important measure and resume my seat.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to detain the House briefly. You may be aware that the shadow Home Secretary has asked the Home Secretary to make a statement on the publication of the Wanless report on whether the Home Office misplaced files relating to child sex abuse allegations, and yet the Home Secretary has so far declined to say that she will. This morning the media are reporting details from the Wanless report. Madam Deputy Speaker, I wanted to ask you whether, after the bungling of the child sex abuse inquiry, you think it would be appropriate and wise, given the seriousness of this, for the Home Secretary to make an oral statement on Monday, so that the House is able to have complete transparency on the important issues around the Wanless report?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Dawn Primarolo)]

That is not a point of order for the Chair today. I understand that the Wanless report is to be published. I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench heard the hon. Gentleman’s points very clearly. It is open to him to pursue that subsequently if he is not satisfied with the response, but it is not a point of order for me today.