Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Beith and Jane Ellison

Tuesday 21st October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

10. If he will take steps to encourage greater co-operation between the NHS in north-east England and in Scotland.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)]

Of course, it is important that the national health services in all four parts of the UK work together. Good examples of that are happening at the moment on major public health issues, as my right hon. Friend can imagine. Providers in England can and do treat patients referred from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, we put emphasis on enabling patients to choose where they will be treated, not on restricting that choice to providers in England.

[Sir Alan Beith]

Does my hon. Friend agree that if someone’s nearest hospital or health centre is on the other side of the border, the health bureaucracy should not set up artificial barriers to access and any advice the Department gives should reflect that principle?

[Jane Ellison]

I am aware that this concern has been highlighted for my right hon. Friend by a very difficult constituency issue with regard to Northumberland clinical commissioning group. To be clear, the CCG is free to commission services from Scottish providers if it wishes to do so. No one instructs a CCG on where to commission services from—that is a decision for the CCG and one of the strengths of the system. Convenience may not be the most important factor in making that decision, but CCGs need to be assured of quality and standards. I am happy to talk to my right hon. Friend further about his particular case.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Beith and Jane Ellison

Tuesday 10th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Jane Ellison]

I understand the right hon. Gentleman’s frustration, but the review is very important. NHS England has confirmed that it will not be able to consult quite as early as it had wished, but it should be appreciated that this review is more comprehensive than the last one. For example, NHS England has developed a comprehensive set of commissioning standards which have never existed before. For the first time, the whole patient pathway will be covered, from foetal detection through childhood, into adult services and all the way to palliative care—on which one of my hon. Friends led a debate relatively recently—and bereavement.

It is always frustrating when things do not happen according to schedule, but what really matters is getting this right and being as transparent as possible. The level of engagement with stakeholders has been much more satisfactory than before, and we continue to make progress.

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

13. If he will bring forward proposals to widen the range of services and treatments available in community hospitals in rural areas.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)]

That is certainly something that we will look into.

[Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (LD)]

T6. The new specialist emergency hospital is nearly 60 miles from Berwick. Given the serious delays in ambulance attendance in recent cases in Northumbria, how can we be sure that serious cases will get paramedic attendance and delivery to the hospital within the critical hour?