Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Chris Skidmore

Tuesday 13th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)]

16. What steps his Department has taken to improve transparency in the NHS.

[The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

Last year I launched My NHS, where patients can see how safe their local hospital is and many other things. From next May, there will be overall information on the quality of mental health and cancer care.

[Chris Skidmore]

Does the Secretary of State share my view that driving up standards in the NHS is better achieved through a culture whereby providers can learn from their peers? For example the excellent maternity department at my local Cossham hospital recently received an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission. That is better than the old ways of doing things through targets driven by Whitehall.

[Mr Hunt]

I agree, and I congratulate the doctors and nurses working in the Cossham maternity unit. Southmead hospital in Bristol has some of the best maternity survival rates in Europe, so there is a lot of very good practice. The way to get the word out is through transparency of outcomes, not endless new targets, so my hon. Friend is absolutely right.