NHS and Social Care Funding

Lord Walney Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I will give way a couple more times, and then I am going to conclude my comments.

[John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op)]

As the Government often point out, they want to hand decisions to local groups, but could the Secretary of State explain to worried patients in the south and west of Cumbria why local health services are suggesting the changes to A&E in the west and potentially the south? I know he has spent a lot of time looking at this area.

[Mr Hunt]

First, I would like to use this moment to congratulate the hon. Gentleman’s local trust on coming out of special measures last year and on the progress it is making. In a way, that is the answer to his point. His local trust was in special measures, and North Cumbria is still in special measures. We had some profound worries about patient care in both trusts, and we still do in the North Cumbria trust. That is why the status quo is not an option, but we understand the concerns of his constituents and many others about some of the proposals being made.