Debates between Maria Caulfield and Valerie Vaz during the 2015-2017 Parliament

NHS (Contracts and Conditions)

Debate between Maria Caulfield and Valerie Vaz
Monday 14th September 2015

(8 years, 9 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Maria Caulfield Portrait Maria Caulfield
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I declare an interest as a former NHS nurse—in fact, I still work as a nurse. I do not want to be political about this, because I want progress to be made on supporting the NHS, and particularly staff, but one of the single biggest factors in demoralising nurses and leading many skilled nurses to leave the practice was the last Labour Government’s change to the skill mix. That was crucial, because we were forced to cut our budgets, particularly on the wards, and junior nurses were left in charge of wards, instead of experienced senior staff nurses and sisters—

Valerie Vaz Portrait Valerie Vaz (in the Chair)
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Order. I remind Members that interventions should be brief.

Maria Caulfield Portrait Maria Caulfield
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Can I just say that it is the change to the skill mix that has demoralised nurses, and that did not happen under this Government?