NHS

Debate between Lord Soames of Fletching and Grahame Morris

Wednesday 5th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Grahame M. Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

Given the heated exchanges we have just had, I want to make it clear that I am speaking in support of the Opposition motion.

Given the extent of the crisis that is being faced by accident and emergency departments around the country, one would be forgiven for thinking that this Government must have inherited an NHS on the brink of collapse. In fact, the opposite is true. I know we have stopped doing the patient satisfaction surveys, but at the time that was discontinued, patient satisfaction was at an all-time high and we must not forget that the national health service had been transformed by the Labour party. I worked in the health service and I remember what it was like in the 18 years when the Tories were running it. The NHS that the Labour party inherited in 1997 was transformed. The budget for the NHS was £30 billion then, but when we left the NHS in good health in 2010, the budget was over £100 billion. The 18 years of Tory neglect had been thoroughly addressed with new hospital buildings. Every single A and E department was replaced.

What have we seen since? We have seen an unwanted top-down reorganisation, which nobody wanted and nobody voted for, coupled with under-investment, and the slashing of alternative services has placed a huge burden on our A and E services. By referring to alternative services I am talking, for instance, about walk-in treatment centres, including my own excellent Healthworks in Paradise lane, Easington Colliery. It is under enormous pressure yet offers a fantastic service with out-of-hours and weekend opening, but we are not sure whether that will continue because of pressures that the clinical commissioning group is facing. By almost any standard, it is clear that the performances of accident and emergency departments are struggling under the current Government. It is clear that patients are waiting longer to be seen and that the numbers of delayed discharges and emergency admissions are up—I think the Secretary of State admitted that. The number of cancelled operations is certainly up.

[Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con)]

I am following carefully what the hon. Gentleman is saying; he is making some very good points. Does he acknowledge that 45% of the health service budget is spent on 5% of the population—namely, those vulnerable people with multiple chronic illnesses? Getting that right must be the key to the future. What does he think the solution is?