Maternity Services (Hastings)

Anne Milton Excerpts

Thursday 24th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anne Milton)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Amber Rudd) on securing the debate. There is no more important issue for a politician or, indeed, a politician’s constituents than the health services available in their constituency. My hon. Friend spoke with passion about her concerns and those of her constituents. I note that she and the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd) paid tribute to Margaret Williams and Liz Walke, the campaigners from last time. They must have a heavy heart listening to or reading tonight’s debate. I do not think that my hon. Friend is panicking early. She is doing exactly what is right: highlighting early her concerns and fears in the light of some vigorous campaigning three years ago.

I would like to join my hon. Friend, as I am sure other Members for the area would, in paying tribute to the NHS staff in her constituency for their hard work and dedication. In common with NHS staff throughout the country, the health and well-being of the public is their driving motivation day in, day out. It is not an easy time for them, and we should not lose sight of that. The Government will support them and ensure that they have the power to provide people with the health outcomes that are consistently among the best in the world.

It would be remiss to pretend that the NHS is free from problems. It is right for people to be concerned when they see something going wrong. I can therefore understand why people in Hastings may have been anxious following the Care Quality Commission’s recent inspection. As my hon. Friend knows, the commission found that inadequate staffing was putting patients at risk, and that that affected the quality of services being provided in the maternity units and in A and E. From the very beginning, the Government have made it clear that safety must be at the heart of the NHS, and that substandard care will not be tolerated. I trained as a nurse and worked in the NHS for 25 years, and from my point of view, nothing but the best well do for the people of this country.

We expect the trust to work hard to resolve the issues raised, and my hon. Friend spoke quite warmly of its response. I understand that it is working closely with the PCT and the strategic health authorities to address the issues by 31 March. I hope and expect that it will meet that deadline.

My hon. Friend spoke of her constituents’ fears that the CQC’s concerns about the safety of the local maternity units will lead to the Conquest’s consultant-led maternity service being closed, and of the previous campaign on that. My constituency is not so very far away from hers. My constituents were also victims of “Creating an NHS fit for the future”, which I felt at all times was fit only for the bin.

I know that in 2008 the independent review panel advised the then Secretary of State for Health that consultant-led services should be retained in both Conquest and Eastbourne hospitals. Both my hon. Friend and the hon. Member for Eastbourne felt that that would be an end to matters, and I understand why people in East Sussex now worry about a new threat.

I gather that East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust has sought to calm those fears by stating publicly that there are no plans for the closure of either maternity unit. However cynical we might become when we have campaigned over time on local issues, we must take what we hear at face value and believe it. I am also aware that the trust has advised local MPs that it will look at various options for the future of maternity services, and that those services will be linked closely to paediatrics, emergency services and gynaecology. The review will have input from external clinical experts, which is crucial for the confidence of local people. Irrespective of their cynicism, it is important to stress that no decision has been made in advance, and that the trust has no plans to close any of the units.

However, I understand the concerns of local people and my hon. Friend. Whatever decisions are made, they must be guided by the trust’s principal responsibility to provide high-quality and safe care. Decisions must be made in an open and transparent way, with the involvement of GP commissioners, staff, patients and public, and with full, real and meaningful consultation. As she knows, I cannot speculate on or prejudge the optimum size of the unit or the outcome of the exercise.

It is right that decisions are made locally without central interference. The Government believe passionately that local decision making is essential in improving outcomes, and in driving up the quality and sustainability of services for different communities. My hon. Friend ably highlighted some of the deprivation and health inequalities in her constituency.

To that end, the Health Secretary has identified four crucial tests that all service changes must pass: they must have the support of GP commissioners; arrangements for public and patient engagement must be strengthened; there should be greater clarity on the clinical evidence base underpinning any proposals; and any proposals must take into account the need to develop and support patient choice, which my hon. Friend mentioned. That means that service changes that do not have the support of GPs, local clinicians, patients and the local community should not happen, which gives patients, local professionals and local councils a far greater role in how services are shaped and developed, and ensures that changes will lead to the best outcomes for local people. That is in line with our proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill, in which we have said that local NHS services must be centred on patients, led by local clinicians and free from political interference, whether from this House or the various layers of NHS management.

My hon. Friend raised, in particular, the working time directive. The coalition Government are committed to limiting the application of the directive in the UK. It has caused immense problems in the health service, and the Health Secretary will support the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in taking a robust approach to future negotiations on the revision of the directive to achieve that greater flexibility.

I also draw my hon. Friend’s attention to the King’s Fund paper that questions the assumptions that outcomes improve in bigger units. The King’s Fund is right that an effective skills mix is important to get the best out of maternity units, and the Department of Health has commissioned the national perinatal epidemiology unit to undertake a study comparing the outcomes of births planned at home, in different types of midwifery units and in hospital units with obstetric services. That report is expected in autumn 2011 and will be very important in providing the evidence for further action on choice of place of birth.

I fully understand my hon. Friend’s reasons for calling this debate. She is right to raise the matter at this very early stage, so that local people are clear that they are getting the support from their local MP—that was quite apparent from the passion with which she spoke—and so that all those working in the health service are aware of her close involvement. I applaud her determination to press for local health services that best meet the needs of patients, and to ensure that whatever measures are taken, following the CQC report and this review, the overriding concern of those services must be the interests of the local people.

Question put and agreed to.