Defibrillators

Alan Mak Excerpts

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Westminster Hall

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

I thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate and for giving such an excellent speech. Hayling Island Community Responders is a voluntary emergency response group in the Havant constituency. The responders carry defibrillators and train volunteers to use them. They are often the first people on the scene in a medical emergency. Will my hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Minister join me in supporting community responders, encouraging more defibrillator training and encouraging more volunteers to join community medical response groups across the country?

[Jonathan Gullis]

I thank my hon. Friend for the undoubted effort that he puts in regularly in his constituency to raise the profile of that fantastic community group of dedicated volunteers. That relates to the point made earlier by my right hon. Friend the Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Gavin Williamson). These groups, who go in day and day out, do not expect much money at all, but try to do everything that they can at cost, in their own time, to literally save lives. I wholeheartedly congratulate the organisation that my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Alan Mak) referred to, and I congratulate him on using this opportunity to mention its name and ensure that it is in Hansard for all the right reasons. Ultimately, those people are lifesavers, quite literally, and without them our community would be poorer. I am grateful to him for giving me an opportunity to praise them.

It is vital that “defibrillator guardians” register their device on The Circuit, so that ambulance services can access their data. The national view provided by The Circuit means that if 999 is called in the west midlands but the call handlers of the West Midlands Ambulance Service are all busy, the call can be diverted to call handlers elsewhere, who can locate the nearest defibrillator if it has been registered.

By creating a comprehensive AED map, The Circuit provides data identifying where defibrillators are needed. The “Complete The Circuit” campaign by the Express led to a further 16,000 defibrillators being registered, but we need to ensure that every lifesaving device is registered. I hope the Minister will be able to clarify whether the Government will pursue that.

Since becoming the chair of the APPG in January 2023, I have made a conscious effort to monitor public access to defibrillators in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke. I have visited several local organisations and groups over the past year to see what access they have to a defibrillator. For example, in October 2023, I was delighted to visit Linley and Kidsgrove rugby club, which had written to me earlier last year about getting a defibrillator on site. It was an honour and a privilege to present the club with a CellAED, which will ensure the wellbeing and safety of players, spectators and the wider community. The device is portable, meaning that it can be taken to away games, too, which could prove vital.

It was also fantastic to visit the Jolly Carter pub in Middleport, which installed a defibrillator late last year after a charity drive to raise funding for one. When I met the landlady, Nicola Fisher, I was surprised to hear that the defibrillator had already saved the life of a man involved in a car crash. The Ford Green pub, which I visited in May, also got its own defibrillator last year, thanks to the hard fundraising efforts of Jayne Bushell and her team. The pub is at the heart of a very busy local community, and the defibrillator could help save lives. And a defibrillator that I personally donated towards—thanks to Mr Rob Matthews bringing the campaign for it to my attention—is now located on Chell Heath Road in the Bradeley and Chell Heath ward. Slowly but surely, public access to defibrillators is improving, but it is essential that we do everything we can to rapidly speed up the process to better protect the public.

The APPG’s report suggested mandating that every emergency vehicle must have a defibrillator. At an APPG session in May last year we heard the tragic story of Naomi Issitt, who tragically lost her 18-year-old son Jamie because a defibrillator was not available when he collapsed at two in the morning. Shamefully, ambulances did not arrive within the required response time, and the police car was not equipped with a defibrillator despite the force believing it had one. The sad reality is simple: had the police car been equipped with a defibrillator, Jamie might still be with us today.

The APPG also found that only one in 11 police cars have access to a defibrillator. We sent freedom of information requests to all the police forces in the UK, and we found that many forces have defibrillators in less than 1.5% of vehicles. We met a representative of Lancashire police who told us that the majority of specialist police vehicles—roads and armed-response vehicles—already carry defibrillators, but most standard police vehicles do not.

Putting a defibrillator in every emergency vehicle and ensuring that all emergency workers know how to use them could help save lives. If only ambulances and specialist police vehicles have these lifesaving devices then there is a high possibility that a police officer could get to the scene of a cardiac arrest and be unable to help in the way that they would wish. Jamie’s death should be a wake-up call. I urge the Minister to consider urging emergency services to better protect the public and ensure that all vehicles are equipped with these lifesaving devices.

Alongside improving access to defibrillators, we need to ensure that people know how to use them. As a former teacher, I know just how important education is in developing people’s understanding of key issues like this. The APPG made it clear that integrating comprehensive first aid training with a strong focus on CPR and defibrillator use can play a pivotal role in equipping younger generations with lifesaving skills. I am pleased that every state school is now mandated to have a defibrillator through the Government’s Defibs4Schools programme. That is an important step forward in widening access to defibrillators, and saving lives as a result.

However, there is a concern that legislation fails to mandate that schools must store their defibrillators on the outside of buildings. I sadly need to revisit the tragic story of Naomi Issitt. She told me in an evidence session that, as well as the issues surrounding the emergency services’ lacklustre critical response time, Jamie had collapsed near a school that had a defibrillator equipped, but because the defibrillator was located inside the school premises, it was inaccessible. The APPG and I agree that it is essential that defibrillators in schools and other public places are accessible 24/7 to heighten the chances of survival through quick access to a defibrillator.

Alongside having physical access to a defibrillator, it is vital that the public are aware how to use them. The fact that the survival rate is depressingly low is due in part to the lack of skills and confidence in performing lifesaving CPR among the UK population. With survival dependent on rapid support, it is the responsibility of policymakers and politicians to campaign to ensure that as many people as possible have those lifesaving skills.

According to a survey of over 4,000 adults conducted by YouGov, over a third have never learned CPR. Nearly half cited a lack of awareness about where to learn, and a quarter of respondents said they lacked the confidence to learn. Those figures are striking. We need to find radical solutions to better equip the public with the skills needed to save lives.

The APPG and I heard from Dr Thomas Keeble, a consultant cardiologist and associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, who revealed that defibrillators are used in only one in 10 cardiac arrests where lifesaving defibrillators are available. His research revealed that not only are people inadequately equipped with lifesaving CPR skills, but they lack the confidence to use a defibrillator when it is available.

The APPG and I have met some incredibly inspiring individuals and groups over the past 12 months, including Mark King from the Oliver King Foundation. The foundation was established in 2012 following the tragic death of 12-year-old Oliver at a school in Liverpool. Oliver died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, a hidden heart condition that kills 12 young people every week. The foundation, set up by Oliver’s father, Mark, provides training in defibrillator awareness and first aid, and has placed 5,900 lifesaving devices in schools and organisations across the United Kingdom. At an APPG session, the foundation emphasised the importance of education, telling me that confidence is key when using a defibrillator, and that removing the fear factor is vital when teaching children how to use it.

The Defibs4Schools programme is a welcome step, but I urge the Minister to consider rolling out CPR training in primary schools. In addition, it is essential that we extend the regulations to ensure that defibrillators should be part of first aid sessions too. These are simple yet effective ways to bridge the gap and empower individuals to become first responders from a young age.

Alongside bettering young people’s understanding and confidence with defibrillators in schools, the APPG has heard that many European countries require people to undertake first aid training to complete a driving test. That is another way in which we can help to develop public awareness and, ultimately, save lives. In Switzerland, applicants must demonstrate that they have undertaken 10 hours of first aid instruction from a Government-approved company to complete their theory test. Germany also requires seven hours of first aid training—nine lessons of 45 minutes each—for all categories of driving licence. Similar models are used in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and the Baltic states. In the UK, around two thirds of young people aged between 21 and 29 have a driving licence. That presents us with a remarkable opportunity to empower a significant portion of the population with life-saving capabilities.

Let me turn to VAT on defibrillators. Defibrillators vary in cost, but the average unit is around £1,250. That is a considerable expense for many groups, charities and sports clubs, especially considering that a sizeable portion of that is the 20% VAT. On average, small businesses, community groups, charities and private users must pay added tax on top of all defibrillator purchases, bringing costs up by £200 to £500 per defibrillator.

I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Will Quince) regularly raised this when he was a Minister in the Department. Sadly, he could not make it to this debate, but he wanted to reiterate his support for the Government to re-evaluate this. Some charities are exempt from paying VAT on defibrillators: not-for-profit hospitals; charitable institutions that provide care or medical or surgical treatment for disabled people; and rescue or first aid services. However, most sports clubs and community groups do not qualify.

Last summer, I visited AED Donate, as my right hon. Friend the Member for South Staffordshire has mentioned. It obviously supports the placement and use of automated external defibrillators in local communities. It told me that the removal of VAT would have allowed them to install another 223 additional defibrillators in communities in 2023—they could not do that because of VAT. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response to that.

Improving survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest rests on increasing public access to defibrillators. It is of paramount importance that we tackle the clear barriers that are preventing lives from being saved by improving public access in disadvantaged areas and through better education. I hope that this debate, which I thank all my hon. and right hon. Friends for engaging with, will raise awareness and that the Minister will take some of my suggestions on board.

Thornbury Health Centre

Alan Mak Excerpts

Wednesday 5th July 2023 Westminster Hall

[Luke Hall (Thornbury and Yate) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered Thornbury Health Centre.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Mr Sharma. It is a genuine privilege to have the chance to debate the important matter of how we deliver good local health services on such a symbolic and important national day: the 75th birthday and anniversary of our national health service. Today, it is quite natural that politicians from all political parties will be discussing the NHS—whether it needs to reform or innovate more, and how it can improve—but I take this opportunity to thank everybody who works in the NHS for all that they do and achieve every single day. Like so many others, my family has relied on their dedication, expertise and, at times, compassion in some of the most difficult times in our family’s life. I will never stop saying a huge thank you to the team at Southmead Hospital for all that it did for my family, and of course for so many others in the region.

People access healthcare in a variety of ways: through their GPs, through local hospitals and, increasingly, in their own homes. South Gloucestershire, where my constituency is based, is a growing community. We have new developments all the time, and there are more residents to support. If we are to meet the growing demand for local health services in the years ahead, it is vital that capacity in our local health service is extended, that pressure on the main hospitals is reduced and that our community receives the financial investment in local health services that it requires. That is why I called for this debate—to highlight some of the challenges that we face, but also some of the opportunities ahead of us in the west of England, in building a state-of-the-art Thornbury health centre to provide health services to people right across South Gloucestershire.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I join him in wishing the NHS a happy 75th birthday, and I thank all those from the Havant constituency who work or have worked for the NHS.

Earlier this year, I helped to launch the construction of the new emergency department to boost capacity at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which has benefited from Government funding. Does my hon. Friend agree that local integrated care boards and other NHS bodies should use this special 75th anniversary year to redouble their efforts to plan for the needs of their communities in the future, including by taking account of campaigns run by Members of this House?

[Luke Hall]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Like him, I have used my time in Parliament to campaign for improved health services in my community. In Yate, for example, the minor injuries unit has moved to a seven-day service with extended opening hours, and it is delivering extra services, such as X-ray services, at the weekends—a drastic improvement for the community. We are working towards a redeveloped site at Frenchay, which would focus on delivering services as a centre of rehabilitative excellence.

The plan for Thornbury is to focus on primary care, outpatient care and preventive care. The combination of those three local facilities will take pressure off Southmead and the surrounding hospitals and allow people to be treated and cared for in a facility closer to their homes and families. It is important that I put across to the Minister that the campaign for Thornbury health centre is a campaign not just for a new building, but for an integral part of the health offering right across the west of England, which relies on those different parts of the health jigsaw.

Thornbury is a vibrant and growing market town that has already seen significant demographic growth. People who live in Thornbury, Olveston, Tytherington, Tockington, Alveston and all the surrounding towns and villages have been crying out for the upgraded health centre for many years. It has been a difficult and frustrating journey at times, because we have had a number of false dawns—there were consultations in 2010 and 2013—but local support remains extremely strong. It is important to the community that we get this delivered, and the clinical need to deliver it grows week by week and month by month.

This redeveloped Thornbury health centre would include greater access to GP services, greater primary care and out-patient services, mental health provision, social care beds, support to carers and their families, and a specialised frailty hub that would support keeping people in their own homes for longer, with the care that they need. There is political support, clinical support and public support to get this done.

[Alan Mak]

In October 2021, I opened the new Emsworth surgery building, after a six-year campaign that I led to secure funding. Local community groups in Emsworth played a key role keeping up momentum. Does my hon. Friend agree that NHS bodies should always take account of public views, not just clinical and political perspectives?

[Luke Hall]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the work he has done to improve health services in his community. He is right that, when delivering these services, there is a clear need for local leaders, political leaders, healthcare leaders and clinicians to work together, to deliver the best possible type of healthcare services for the community.

I would argue that the clinical need for Thornbury health centre is extremely clear. Estimates from the integrated care system for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire expect the population in our area to increase by around 18% by the end of this decade. At the moment, the area is served by three GP practices, providing care for a population of around 21,500 patients. The estimate is that that will grow by a further 4,600 patients by 2030. The new health centre would see these services brought together, providing an integrated service, to the substantial benefit of local people.

Projections from the integrated care board show that substantial medical demand exists for this project. In its Thornbury primary and community care report, it outlines the business case for sustainable primary healthcare services in Thornbury and highlights the specific strain experienced by the neighbouring health services. That report makes clear the clinical need to develop and deliver these new facilities. Out-patient services across a range of specialties have had to face interim relocation during the course of the process. Physiotherapy services are currently being carried out at Thornbury leisure centre, while in-patient rehabilitation beds are provided at the Grace care home. That again would be brought together under one roof under this proposal.

Commercial space would be allocated for pharmacy and dental services, and there is potential for a wider service offering from South Gloucestershire Council, to be delivered as part of this overall project at the site. The clinical and healthcare benefits that a newly developed Thornbury health centre would bring the community are clear and, I would say, inarguable. The ICB is now looking at the Government to provide an answer on the next steps.

On public support, I want to lay out for the Minister and Department the fact that I recently launched a survey in Thornbury and the surrounding towns and villages about healthcare services in the area. As of today—just a few weeks later—I have had more than 2,000 responses, with more coming in every day; some 97% of those making those responses have signed my petition, calling on the Government to deliver the funding required to upgrade Thornbury health centre. More than 90% of those who responded agreed that upgrading the health centre would substantially reduce pressure on the surrounding health infrastructure around Thornbury, and take pressure off the hospitals.

There is significant support in those responses for increasing some of the out-patient care services, with many listing that as their top priority for Thornbury and the surrounding area. That is closely followed by increasing the number of GP appointments, which would be achieved by this development. Proposals to provide more social care beds, a frailty hub and better mental health support also have widespread support in the community. It is clear that there is widespread community, as well as clinical, support for this project to deliver a new health centre, and for the extent to which it would reduce pressure on some other medical services.

Although this project has been frustratingly slow, there has been progress in the past few years. In 2016, the Department of Health, as it was then, opened the estates and technology transformation fund, which was aimed at helping practices to establish the infrastructure to support improved access to a wider range of different services, and increase capacity for providing alternatives to hospitals and facilities for training. We made a local £10 million bid to the fund, seeking to deliver the integrated unit and bring together the GP practices, but it was unsuccessful.

Local discussions continued. I pushed at the highest levels of Government for the prioritisation of Thornbury health centre, which resulted in the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the right hon. Member for West Suffolk (Matt Hancock), coming to South Gloucestershire in November 2019 and confirming that he had asked NHS Improvement to take a lead on delivering a new Thornbury health centre. Following that intervention, and with support from NHS England, NHS Improvement and the Department, we submitted a new bid for over £13 million to the sustainability and transformation partnerships wave 4 capital funding pot to deliver a redeveloped Thornbury health centre. Since then, we have regularly raised the importance of getting this done with Ministers, including in a roundtable with a former Minister of State, our clinical commissioning group, the local council, Sirona Care and Health and lots of the other bodies who would be involved in delivering the bid, including officials from the Department.

That was followed by the decision of South Gloucestershire Council, the unitary local authority, to purchase the former Thornbury Hospital site from North Bristol NHS Trust. Locally, we have taken this as far as we can. We have jumped through every hoop and followed every process. We have a huge appreciation of the challenges the Minister’s Department has faced in recent years and of the pressures the pandemic put on the Department. However, health services were given a laser-like focus from Government and are now delivering with the after effects of that pandemic. Clearly, those services must be a priority.

It has been two and a half years since that bid was submitted. Even accounting for all the challenges that we have all been facing and that the Department has been facing, that is a substantial period of time. I want to make the point to the Minister that it is vital that, even though the Department is dealing with significant, nationwide challenges such as tackling the backlog—and it is quite right to focus on them—Thornbury health centre must also remain a priority because we must find a way to deliver services for the changing demographics in South Gloucestershire. This project is ready to go if the Department is willing to get behind it. People in South Gloucestershire are in desperate need of this new health centre. We need a response to our bid so that work can finally get under way to deliver on a project that we all want to see.

I am grateful for the work of a number of different Ministers, particularly the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who took the time to meet me earlier this week to discuss how we can get this project delivered and make some progress. I think and hope that the detail and time that he and other Ministers and officials have given to the project demonstrates its importance, and the level of interest from the Department to get this done.

I hope the Minister can update us and the community on some of the remaining questions surrounding this debate. First, can he confirm that Thornbury health centre remains important to the Government and the Department and that there is the will to get this done? Does the Department have any outstanding concerns that have not been addressed as part of this process? We have had a long and collaborative relationship, but if there is anything that those at the Department are not sure about, they need to let us know. Will the Minister confirm that progress is still being made behind the scenes on the project? Are officials still meeting with the local ICB to discuss its delivery? Also, are they looking at other examples around the country to find ways in which modern methods of delivery could ensure that we deliver this health centre within the financial envelope in the face of escalating costs? Crucially, when will we hear the bid’s outcome, which we have waited so long for?

It is vital that we deliver an upgraded Thornbury health centre. Our bid would allow us to do so. It would provide more GP appointments and better access to primary care, out-patient services and mental health support, as well as a frailty hub to support people in their own homes for longer. The clinical need is there, as is the public and political support. The bid is with the Department, but the project has dragged on for too long. It is time for the redevelopment of Thornbury health centre to really get moving, so that we can deliver the high-quality, local public health services that South Gloucestershire is keen to see. We need it now more than ever.

Hospice Services: Support

Alan Mak Excerpts

Wednesday 14th June 2023 Westminster Hall

[Paul Holmes (Eastleigh) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered support for hospice services.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Nokes. You are intrinsically linked to the Mountbatten hospice, which I will speak about this morning, in your role as the Member of Parliament for Romsey and Southampton North.

I thank the all-party parliamentary group on hospice and end of life care and its chair and co-chair, my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Peter Gibson), who is here today, and Baroness Finlay, for their work in promoting and championing the hospice sector. They have a lot of experience in the sector and I am grateful to them for lending me their support in this important debate.

The hospice sector in this country does incredible work for thousands of families and individuals every day. It is a fact of life that we all experience a bereavement at some point, and some of my colleagues know that we recently had the very sad task of saying goodbye to my office manager, Sue Hall. Sue was not just an employee of mine; she was my friend, confidante, an incredible wife and mum, and a friend to all. She was a magnificent woman—a local hero who helped people every day. She never baulked at a challenge or missed an opportunity to show people how much she cared. I am sure many, if not all, of those here have had that special support in their lives from someone they rely on. For me, that person was Sue. I never thought I would have to make do without her by my side.

Sue left us peacefully, surrounded by her family and friends on 30 March. She was comfortable and well looked after, and for that I will ever be grateful to Mountbatten hospice in my constituency, which cared for her at the end of her life. It made her final days and moments a special time for her family and friends. We can all hope at the end of our time on this earth to have an opportunity to say, “Thank you, I love you, and goodbye.” That is a truly special and incredible moment for everyone—one that the hospice Sue stayed in provides for people every day.

Sue’s journey had a profound impact on me as I spent time with her in the hospice learning about the work that it does and the struggles it faces. In a moment of weakness, her son-in-law, Miles Rogers—a good friend of mine—and I agreed to do a charity skydive for Mountbatten hospice on 24 June. The fundraising page is available on my Facebook page if anyone wants to contribute.

Mountbatten Hampshire is a hospice in my constituency that provides 24/7 in-patient and community domiciliary and palliative end of life care services to people across Southampton city and large parts of Hampshire. It also provides rehabilitation and enablement services, as well as psychological and bereavement support to parents and their families. Sue’s family and I will forever be grateful to it for its kindness during Sue’s last days. Having had the pleasure of meeting the hospice’s chief executive officer, Nigel Hartley, and the fantastic staff who work there, I know that their passion and commitment to providing the best possible care for all their patients is their top priority, and they give that care with skill, tact and grace every day.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Rowans Hospice does great work in the Havant constituency, and as a result it engenders a lot of loyalty, including from fundraising and support groups. Will he join me in thanking such groups for their contribution alongside the full-time staff at hospices?

[Paul Holmes]

I pay tribute to Rowans Hospice and to all the hospices that we will no doubt hear about this morning, given the number of people attending this debate.

As I say, I had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of Mountbatten hospice. Its work does not come without cost, but, as a charity, its services are provided free of charge to all who need them, thanks to the generosity of its amazing community and incredible volunteers, who give their time to support the best possible care for local people during the last years and months of their lives. Mountbatten currently supports around 1,000 families every day, and demand for its services is predicted to rise by 40% in the next 18 months. It costs £11.5 million a year to keep the services running, and the hospice relies on charitable support to fund its 24/7, 365 days a year services to people who need them.

Coronavirus

Alan Mak Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

We have increased the public health grant and we have increased local authority spending power by 4.4% in real terms next year, which of course comes in at the start of April.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

My constituency includes a number of semi-rural, coastal and isolated communities, where information on as local a basis as possible will be needed, not just the national picture. Can my right hon. Friend provide me with the relevant departmental and Public Health England contacts so that I can obtain this information in real time?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes, I would be happy to do that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Mak Excerpts

Tuesday 28th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to ensure the take-up of new technology by the NHS to support effective delivery of its services.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

24. What steps he is taking to ensure the take-up of new technology by the NHS to support effective delivery of its services.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Matt Hancock)]

Using the best technology is good for patients, clinicians and the NHS. Work is under way to drive through the use of new technology, including electronic referrals and electronic prescribing, and to end the painfully slow logins in some trusts.

[Matt Hancock]

Yes, I do. It is striking how much clinicians working on the frontline are desperate for improvements in the technology they use. Our announcement over Christmas that we will have a single login, which is seemingly so simple, brought enormous enthusiasm from clinicians who spend hours of their week doing things that most of us can do with the click of a button on the systems we use.

My hon. Friend has been an assiduous campaigner for health investment in Shrewsbury, both physical capital investment and investment in modern technology.

[Alan Mak]

I welcome the phasing out of outdated technologies, such as fax machines, in the NHS. As the switch-off date approaches, what steps is NHS England taking to ensure that patient records can be transferred electronically between primary and secondary healthcare providers?

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend is spot on. We are driving interoperability so that the right people can see the right records at the right time. We will mandate that technology used in the NHS must allow for such interoperability, and we will set standards.

My hon. Friend started the “axe the fax” campaign, in which I was happy to play my part. Faxes are terrible for efficiency and for data security—even straightforward email is so much better—and we will drive up data security by axing the fax across the NHS.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Mak Excerpts

Tuesday 18th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

The hon. Lady is quite right. As part of the long-term plan, we have considered the best way to commission sexual health services, which were moved over to local authorities five years ago. We think that the responsibilities are sitting in the right place, but we need to see far more co-commissioning, where local authorities and the NHS together ensure that there is more joined-up provision, rather than the siloed provision that she mentions.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

T10. I welcome the successful trial of the new NHS app. How does the Department plan to use APIs to allow third-party developers to improve the app for patients?

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend is quite right to celebrate the development of the NHS app. More than 80% of people are now able to use the NHS app to link to their GP practice. Our plans for the year ahead include API-based connections to a number of third-party products, including the NHS app. More importantly, I want the opening of this system to allow other innovators to be able to develop products for patients to use in a way that we have not imagined before. I want a load of innovations so that people can get the best possible access to their NHS.

Cystic Fibrosis Drugs: Orkambi

Alan Mak Excerpts

Monday 10th June 2019 Westminster Hall

[Paul Scully]

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right; that is a really good point. Actually, the diabetes came from the cystic fibrosis, but he is right to talk about the medication in that way.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

My hon. Friend is making a persuasive speech. This issue is important in my Havant constituency, as it is in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark), who is sitting next to me. Does my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Scully) agree that while we praise the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, we should also commend it for the research into the condition that it does itself? I urge hon. Members from across the House to support any bids for funding that it makes to the NHS or other funding bodies so it can continue its important work in this field.

[Paul Scully]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I have been to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust twice, and I was absolutely blown away. It is the kind of organisation that I got into politics to help. I met Lynsey Beswick, who works there—she may be in the Public Gallery. She is a CF sufferer, and she has just climbed Snowdon. I would struggle with that, and she has reduced lung capacity. [Applause.] That is the first time I have got a round of applause in Westminster Hall; I am not sure it is to be encouraged. Lynsey, that is for you.

Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Mak Excerpts

Tuesday 15th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right that these waiting time targets need to be improved upon, which is one reason why we are putting so much extra taxpayers’ money into the NHS. Of course, waiting times also need to follow clinical need, and we are taking advice on that.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

Genome sequencing and other fourth industrial revolution techniques play a key role in the detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases. How is the NHS adopting those new techniques?

[Matt Hancock]

The use of new technologies is drilled through the new NHS long-term plan. Genome sequencing holds great opportunities to improve the health of the nation, and my hon. Friend is a great advocate for it.

NHS Long-term Plan

Alan Mak Excerpts

Monday 7th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

Of course the provision of services locally is a matter for local clinicians, and it must be led by local clinicians. I am always happy to look at individual cases and, as with the other example, I will ask the NHS to write back to the hon. Gentleman with an explanation.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

Upgrading the NHS’s technology is key to its productivity and its future, and it should include rolling out a new NHS app; phasing out outdated technologies such as fax machines; and adopting new fourth industrial revolution technologies. What progress has the Department made in those areas?

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend is dead right. There is a whole chapter in the plan on using new technologies not only to improve care but to make care more convenient. He has been a doughty campaigner for the use of technology in health services. His trip to my local hospital to understand these issues went down incredibly well locally, and I hope he keeps pushing us to do the best we can.

Gosport Independent Panel

Alan Mak Excerpts

Wednesday 21st November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

I agree with an awful lot of what the hon. Lady has said, and I appreciate the wisdom that she brings to this issue with her clinical experience.

The need for a just culture in the NHS is very clear, and the Gosport report makes it clearer still. A just culture means that, yes, there is accountability, but the accountability is established with the intent that the system will improve and people will learn; that people can come forward with concerns rather than covering them up; and that when concerns are expressed, they are welcomed.

I am also pleased about the hon. Lady’s attitude to potential legislation. I look forward to working with her, and, indeed, learning from some of the improvements that have been made in Scotland, to try to ensure that we can get this right.

[Alan Mak (Havant) (Con)]

The events at Gosport are of substantial interest to my constituents in Havant and across the Solent region. I agree with the Secretary of State that lessons must be not only learned but applied. Will he confirm that ensuring patients’ safety will remain at the heart of all that the NHS does, including the development of its new 10-year plan, and will he confirm in particular that better medical records can be produced through, for instance, the use of new technologies?

[Matt Hancock]

Absolutely, and I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s work. People from across the country, and certainly from across the region, were affected by this. The need for better medical records is underlined in the report. In the case of several hundred people, we do not know whether their lives were shortened or not. Of course technology has a huge part to play in this. From about 15 years ago onwards it is highly unlikely that medical records would have been lost or misplaced in this way, and therefore new technology has a role to play, but it needs to be improved so that access to those records can be made available to the right people at the right time.