Health and Adult Social Care Reform

Andrew Murrison Excerpts

Monday 6th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. That is why in the Budget the Chancellor delivered a big uplift in the spending power of local authorities, with £880 million ringfenced specifically for social care. We are also delivering through measures such as the disabled facilities grant to deal immediately with the pressures—[Interruption.] It is no good the right hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart) complaining. He voted against the investment, so he cannot very well complain about it.

[Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)]

The previous Labour Government did a hatchet job on community hospitals, including in Wiltshire, with a consequent uptick in the amount of delayed discharges in the acute sector, notably at Bath, Salisbury and the Great Western in Swindon. Will the Casey commission look at that and find ways of unpicking the damage that was done?

[Wes Streeting]

The previous Labour Government delivered the shortest waiting times and the highest patient satisfaction in history.