Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 4th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stephenson]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I have already agreed to meet her, as did my predecessor, but neither offer has been taken up. On 23 January, the consular murder and manslaughter team held a workshop bringing together key stakeholders, including Murdered Abroad, the Help for Victims homicide service, the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan police and the Chief Coroner’s Office to focus on always improving our support for bereaved families. I participated in that meeting. We will always strive to improve the service that we provide to those who have loved ones murdered abroad.

[Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey) (Con)]

One of the consular cases most on the minds of people in this House is that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Does the Minister agree that western countries need to work together to call out the vile practice of hostage-taking by countries such as Iran? Article 4 of the NATO treaty says if that one country is invaded, all have to treat it as if they have been invaded. Should we not do the same when our innocent citizens are taken hostage?

[Andrew Stephenson]

I applaud my right hon. Friend for his question and the work that he did on this case when he was Foreign Secretary. The Prime Minister met Richard Ratcliffe on 23 January. We continue to make strong representations to send a clear signal in this case that Iran’s behaviour is totally wrong and unacceptable.

NHS Funding

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Monday 31st October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

What I can guarantee is that the decisions about the future of A&E departments will be taken locally by clinicians who have the best interests of their patients at heart. I think that the hon. Gentleman and I would be able to agree that these decisions are not best taken by Secretaries of State. It is much better that they are taken by people who do not have any party political axe to grind. Any decision to change service provision at an A&E has the opportunity, if it is so wished, to be reviewed by the Secretary of State when it goes through an independent process. That is exactly what would happen in north-east London, were the local community to wish it.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

Under the previous Labour Government, Burnley general hospital lost its A&E department and a number of key services. Under the coalition Government, a new £9 million urgent care centre opened and just last week the trust submitted plans for a £15 million development of the hospital. Does that not perfectly demonstrate the unprecedented investment in the NHS since Labour left government?

[Mr Hunt]

It absolutely does. I much enjoyed visiting with my hon. Friend some health facilities in his constituency during the general election campaign. The difference between Conservative Members and Labour Members is that we recognise that every penny of the NHS budget has to come from a strong economy. We know that if we take that for granted, we end up having to cut the NHS budget, which is what has happened in Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and many other countries that have lost control of their national finances. That is something that Labour Members would do well to remember.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 11th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jeremy Hunt]

I will tell the hon. Lady what this Government have done. We have legislated for parity of esteem for mental health. We are treating 1,400 more people every single day for mental health conditions compared with six years ago. We have a new plan that will see 1 million more people treated every year by 2020, including a transformation of child and adolescent mental health services. That is possible because we are putting into the NHS extra money that her party refused to commit to.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

T9. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Government have a moral obligation to end the raid on poorer countries for their skilled doctors and nurses and to make our NHS recruitment more self-sufficient?

[Mr Hunt]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I find it extraordinary that the Labour party said that our plan to train more doctors was “nonsense”. We currently have 800 doctors in the NHS from Sri Lanka, 600 from Nigeria, 400 from Sudan and 200 from Myanmar. They are doing a brilliant job and I want them to continue doing that job, but we have to ask ourselves whether it is ethical for us to continue to recruit doctors from much poorer countries that really need their skills.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 5th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

We have accepted that, which is why in our manifesto at the last election we were committed to putting £5.5 billion more into the NHS than was being promised by the hon. Gentleman’s party, but we have to live within the country’s financial envelope, because we know that without a strong economy we will not have a strong NHS. We will continue to make sure we get that balance right.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

T5. In May, the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Jane Ellison), gave me a very encouraging answer about improving the treatment and diagnosis of Lyme disease. Will she meet me and other concerned colleagues to discuss what more can be done to tackle that terrible condition?

NHS Reform

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Thursday 16th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I know that the hon. Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) secured a Westminster Hall debate on this yesterday, during which I hope the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) covered most of the issues he wants to address, but I am happy to arrange to meet him or to get the Under-Secretary of State for Health with responsibility for hospitals, my hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Ben Gummer), to meet him to discuss those issues in more detail. The hospital trust that the hon. Gentleman talks about—Queen’s and King George are covered by the same trust—has been through a very challenging period. It is a big trust; it is going through special measures, but I think it has good new management. I think they have really turned things around, and that staff are to be absolutely commended. The link with Virginia Mason in Seattle will be as inspirational for them as it has been for me to see what is possible.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

I welcome today’s statement about transformation of our NHS. Will the Secretary of State join me in welcoming the progress made by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which came out of special measures about 12 months ago, and particularly the fact that a Health Service Journal and Nursing Times survey recently ranked the trust among the top 100 places to work, with improved staff engagement and morale, which is a huge transformation from where we were when the trust was put into special measures?

[Mr Hunt]

I thank my hon. Friend for his passionate support for that trust through a very difficult period. I also thank him for giving us perhaps the single biggest insight into how to transform a hospital in difficulty: according to all the measures, the most important single thing is to engage with staff. If staff feel supported and listened to, the result is safer care for patients and better outcomes. That is something they have done in East Lancashire, and it is something that many other hospitals could learn from.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 2nd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

During the previous Parliament I made it my priority to ensure that NHS hospitals learned from the tragedy of Mid Staffs to transform themselves into the safest hospitals anywhere in the world. That work will continue. Today NHS England has announced measures to ensure that even more funding is available to improve the quality of care. These include restrictions on the use of agency staff and management consultancies, and on senior pay. It is right that the NHS takes every possible measure to direct resources towards improving patient care.

[Andrew Stephenson]

I thank the Secretary of State for supporting the bid by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust for £15.6 million to improve the surgical centre, opthalmology and out-patient services at Burnley General hospital, on which I lobbied him extensively. Thanks to the hard work of the trust’s staff, it has exited special measures. What progress has been made on improving safety in hospitals via the special measures regime?

[Mr Hunt]

I thank my hon. Friend for his campaigning for that hospital. The simple answer is that hospitals put into special measures end up recruiting more doctors and nurses and delivering safer care to patients, and his hospital is a shining example of that.

Health and Social Care

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 2nd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I will just make some progress.

Prevention also means transforming mental health services. I paid tribute earlier to my former colleague the right hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), who did a terrific job. I welcome in his place my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), the Minister for Community and Social Care, who I know will build on his legacy. It also means a big focus on public health, especially tackling obesity and diabetes. It remains a scandal that so many children are obese. I know that the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Jane Ellison), is working hard on a plan to tackle those issues.

We must continue to make progress on cancer. We have discussed some of the measures that we need to take, but independent cancer charities say that we are saving about 1,000 more lives every month as a result of the measures that have already been taken. We want to build on that.

We have also talked about technology a number of times today. It will remain a vital priority to achieving the ends that I have described. In the last Parliament, I said that I wanted the NHS to be paperless by 2018. In this Parliament, I would like us to go further and be the first major health economy to have a single electronic health record shared across primary, secondary and social care for every patient. Alongside that, our plans to be the first country to decode 100,000 genomes will keep us at the forefront of scientific endeavour, ably championed by the Minister for Life Sciences, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Norfolk (George Freeman).

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

I welcome what my right hon. Friend is saying about transforming services. He has mentioned Airedale hospital twice. I thank him for visiting Pendle a few weeks ago, and visiting Marsden Grange, one of my local care homes, where he saw the telemedicine service from the care home perspective. Will he say more about how telemedicine and improved technology in the NHS can help improve patient care?

[Mr Hunt]

Yes, I absolutely can. Let me give him one specific example. A couple of years ago, I noted a statistic that showed that 43 people died because they were given the wrong medicine by an NHS doctor or nurse. That problem could be avoided if doctors and nurses had access to people’s medical records so that they could see whether patients had allergies and give them the right medicine. The previous Labour Government had a crack at electronic health records. It was not successful, but they were right to try. We have to get it right if we are to have the best health service in the world. I am committed to that.

Francis Report: Update and Response

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 11th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I can say that we are consulting on making a big change that would mean they would have someone independent in their organisations to whom they could talk and raise their concerns. They could say, “I want to say this, but no one is listening to me”. That is what Sir Robert Francis calls “freedom to speak up” guardians, whom he wants in every organisation. It is what Helene Donnelly is championing in her work. That is the way forward to address those concerns.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was placed in special measures, following the Keogh review, in July 2013, and it successfully exited that regime in July 2014. The trust has employed an additional 201 nurses and nursing support staff and 26 more doctors since June 2013, taking the total increase since May 2010 to 391 additional nurses and 40 additional doctors. In January 2014, the Royal College of Midwives named the maternity services unit the maternity service of the year. Will my right hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to the dedicated staff at East Lancashire hospitals for working with the new tougher regime and turning my local hospital trust around?

[Mr Hunt]

I absolutely will. This is a great example, and I would like to thank my hon. Friend for the interest he has shown in this issue. For one hospital to have 390 more nurses over four years is remarkable. It may interest my hon. Friend to know that those numbers do not include agency staff, so if the hospitals have any such staff, they will be counted on top of those figures. This is a dramatic turnaround for the quality of patient care, which we all welcome. That just shows that if we get the incentives right from the centre, trusts do want to do the right thing. We did not instruct the trust to employ a single extra nurse; rather, we set up a new inspection regime and special measures regime, and what my hon. Friend said shows it has worked.

NHS Major Incidents

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 28th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

If executives did not declare a major incident because they were worried about the political consequences, they were wrong, but I would have to be persuaded that they would do that, because every NHS executive I speak to wants to put patients first, with patient safety paramount. On the practical things that we are doing, there are 60 more doctors, and 41 more nurses since 2010, and £4.5 million to help them through this winter. We are doing a lot of practical things to help the NHS in the hon. Lady’s area through the winter.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

Many major incidents have their roots in things that happened some time ago. Blackburn’s A and E department has been struggling to cope with demand since Burnley’s A and E department was downgraded under Labour in 2007—a decision that the right hon. Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham) defended several times in the House, including on 19 November 2009, when he said:

“‘This is saving lives; I will stand by it’”.—[Official Report, 19 November 2009; Vol. 501, c. 236.]

On behalf of the residents of Pendle, I urge the Secretary of State to take no lessons from Labour on the management of our NHS.

[Mr Hunt]

That is it, and that is why it is not working for the Opposition politically when they try to put the NHS centre stage. They can see people who downgraded or closed 12 A and E departments across the country during their time in office now coming to Prime Minister’s questions and trying to criticise this Government when similar things have happened. The answer on all these occasions is to put patients first, do the right thing for patients, be honest about the problems and sort them out, and that is what the Government are doing.

NHS (Five Year Forward View)

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Monday 1st December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I remember visiting Newark hospital with my hon. Friend before he was elected, and I know that he campaigns very hard on the issues facing the trust. I will happily take that issue away and look at it. It is worth saying that the doctors and nurses at that hospital are working incredibly hard to turn things around, and they have already made great progress.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

rose—

--- Later in debate ---

[Andrew Stephenson]

Thank you, Mr Speaker; I am honoured.

I very much welcome the £2 billion of additional funding announced today. This morning, I was at Airedale hospital for the preview of its new £6.3 million A and E department, which will open to the public this Wednesday. Will the Secretary of State join me in paying tribute to all the hospital’s NHS staff and management, and its patients, who have been involved from the start of the process in making sure that the new A and E department, which is more than double the size of the old one, is now a reality?

[Mr Hunt]

I am happy to do so. It is an absolutely brilliant hospital. I was really impressed when I saw that it has integrated its IT systems with those of local GPs better than anywhere else I have seen in the UK, and it is now looking at integrating those systems with local residential care homes. It has a fantastic Skype system for patients who are vulnerable and have mobility problems. It is an amazing place, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to it.

Five Year Forward View

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Thursday 23rd October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

As I have just told the House, I welcome a report that says we need to invest more in general practice. There has been historical under-investment over decades, which is why more and more resources have been sucked into the hospital sector. We are calling time on that and saying that we have to invest more in primary care, community care and out-of-hospital care. It is a big change for the NHS, and I think that the hon. Gentleman’s practice managers will be thrilled to hear it.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

The Secretary of State may be aware that the excellent Airedale hospital, which he has visited, in the neighbouring constituency to mine, has been highlighted in “BBC News” coverage today, especially for its telemedicine service, as an example of what the future of evolving heath care may look like. Will he join me in congratulating the excellent staff at Airedale hospital on embracing change and pioneering new models of care?

[Mr Hunt]

I am delighted to do so. Airedale is mentioned in the “Five Year Forward View” as an example of how technology can be transformative. It has a system under which older people in the locality are given a red button, and as long as their TV is turned on, all they have to do is press the red button and they are talking to a nurse. That is immensely reassuring for them, and it means that they are more likely to stay healthy and happy and to live at home for longer. That is better for them and for the NHS, and it is a real model.

Special Measures Regime

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 16th July 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

No one is keener than my hon. Friend and I to get the trust out of special measures as quickly as possible, and I thank him for the many representations he has made with respect to North Cumbria. I know that the trust is disappointed not to come out of special measures, but it is now rated good in terms of being caring, and the CQC said in July that the staff were supportive to patients and those close to them, so some encouraging things are happening at the trust, and we will do everything we can to help it to go the final furlong.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

I very much welcome the progress that has been made at East Lancashire hospitals. Following action by the Secretary of State last year, the trust has now recruited more than 200 new nurses, nurse support staff and consultants. In March, a new state-of-the-art £9 million urgent care centre at Burnley was officially opened to the public, replacing the old A and E department, which was downgraded under Labour in 2007. Given that poor performance at the trust was established back in 2005 and that the last Government failed to act on it, how can we ensure that future problems are addressed speedily, rather than being hushed up?

[Mr Hunt]

I thank my hon. Friend for his interest in his local hospital and I agree with him that the trust has made good progress. There is a simple way to ensure that these things get acted on quickly and that is to make sure they are public. When things are public—when they are transparent and everyone knows about them—the NHS and Ministers have to act, and that is the purpose of this system.

Hospital Mortality Rates

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Tuesday 16th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

We do need to draw those lessons, and the sad lesson from this afternoon is that that change in culture with respect to transparency and accountability does not extend to the Labour party. Voters will notice how unwilling Labour Members are to accept that things went wrong on their patch.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

Given what today’s report says about capacity issues at Blackburn hospital, and that the hospital is struggling to deal with the number of patients, serious questions again have to be asked about the decision to downgrade Burnley hospital’s accident and emergency department under the previous Government in 2007, which was consistently supported by the shadow Secretary of State when he was in office. Will my right hon. Friend visit Pendle to meet some of the affected families to reassure them that lessons have been learned from the mistakes of the past?

[Mr Hunt]

I will be delighted to visit my hon. Friend’s hospital, as well as those of many colleagues. I am sure I will learn a great deal when I do so.

Care Quality Commission (Morecambe Bay Hospitals)

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Wednesday 19th June 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

The criminal sanctions apply to boards for withholding information about safety breaches at their trust, and as I mentioned earlier, we are considering whether those sanctions should apply below board level. We want to wait for Professor Berwick’s advice on that, because there is a balance between proper accountability for mistakes and the need to create that culture of openness, where people report mistakes that they might see a colleague making, which might not happen if they were worried about criminal prosecutions. I want to take the advice of an expert on that.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

I and the people I represent are rightly proud of our NHS. However, from Morecambe Bay to Mid Staffordshire we have had a series of scandals. Can the Secretary of State reassure patients that the previous Government’s culture of secrecy and neglect will now be torn apart and replaced by a new, transparent, accountable health service that treats patients with dignity, rather than as numbers?

[Mr Hunt]

The big challenge of our times for the NHS is to make that culture change, and it is a huge organisation. With 1.3 million people, we will do this only if we tap into and harness the desire that they have to do their jobs to the highest standards of patient safety, treating people with dignity and respect. That will be the key to unlocking success.

Social Care Funding

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Monday 11th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

There are some things that we can learn from Scotland and some things that we cannot learn. Scotland has a very good record in identifying people with dementia, and the point that the hon. Lady makes about helping people to live at home for longer is a very good one. Care costs incurred in domiciliary care for people who are living at home will count towards the £75,000 cap, so we hope to have many more flexible ways for people to provide for themselves and be able to live at home happily and healthily for longer.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

I welcome today’s statement. Most welcome to my constituents will be the increase in the means-test threshold of state support from £23,000 to £123,000. Given that December’s figures from the Land Registry put the average house price in my constituency at only £114,000, will my right hon. Friend confirm that these proposals represent a very good deal for Pendle home owners, most of whom are on low incomes and of only modest wealth?

[Mr Hunt]

That is absolutely the point. The group of people we are targeting with these proposals are not the most vulnerable, because they already get all their care costs covered if their assets are less than £23,000, but the people one step up from that, who in many cases have worked hard, saved all their lives and paid off their mortgage, but have a house that is not of sufficient value to cover the social care costs they need. I hope that these proposals will be very welcome in Pendle.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Thursday 15th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

That is a question the hon. Gentleman will have to ask Lord Coe.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

T8. The Olympics are a real opportunity to boost tourism in the UK. Will my right hon. Friend say some more about his plans to spread the benefits of tourism to, in particular, the north-west of England?

[Mr Hunt]

That is why next year we will have the biggest ever marketing campaign to encourage people to take a holiday at home. It is designed to encourage the whole UK not to take for granted what we have on our doorstep. I know that my hon. Friend has great local stories, such as the Pendle witches, which he would like the whole country to find out more about, and next year is the moment to do so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Andrew Stephenson and Jeremy Hunt

Thursday 8th September 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jeremy Hunt]

As I know the hon. Gentleman will understand, it would not be right for me to comment on a police matter, but I agree with him that there is an important difference between off-the-record briefing and the payment of money by or to the police in return for information. Journalists must operate within the law, but, as the Prime Minister told the Liaison Committee, as we go through this entire process we must be careful not to overreact in a way that would undermine the foundations of a free society.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

T4. Pendle Leisure Trust sport development manager Joe Cooney is working closely with Colne football club in helping it to apply for iconic facilities funding for new changing rooms at its stadium, which is currently in a poor state of repair. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that bids are encouraged from other groups in Pendle and east Lancashire?