NHS: Five Year Forward View

Lord Bradley Excerpts

Thursday 23rd October 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bradley (Lab)]

My Lords, noting my health interests, I am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement. We warmly welcome the report, Five Year Forward View, particularly as it endorses key elements of Labour’s plans for the National Health Service. However, there are many questions still to be answered, which will unfold over the coming weeks and months and will form the basis of that measured and intelligent debate in this House. The report endorses Labour’s visions for new models of integrated care, including hospitals evolving into integrated and accountable care organisations, with more salaried GPs. Does the Minister accept these proposals, and does he agree that there should be a greater role for health and well-being boards in helping to deliver this strategy? On public health, does the Minister agree with the report that the time has come for radical action on obesity, and does he accept that the voluntary responsibility deal is clearly inadequate? On GP services, does he agree with the report that primary care has been under-resourced and that people are struggling to get appointments? Will he accept the need to stabilise funding of GP budgets and match our plans to recruit 8,000 more GPs? Finally, does he accept that much more urgent action is needed to deliver the commitment on parity of esteem between mental and physical health and that proper integration of those services is particularly important and will ensure better outcomes for all patients?