Health: Spending Cuts

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts
Wednesday 30th June 2010

(14 years, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Earl Howe Portrait Earl Howe
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My Lords, as I have just indicated, the Department of Health is very fortunate to be protected from cuts in its budget during this Parliament, but at the same time we have a duty to spend every pound wisely and to obtain value for money. The spending review is still ahead of us. The only cuts that I can predict are those to bureaucracy and administration, to enable us to direct more money into front-line healthcare.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Portrait Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
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Will the Minister provide an assurance to those highly specialised secondary care services that are fearful that GP commissioning may be at too small a population level to ensure that those with complex conditions, which may need complex early diagnosis and management, will be adequately managed? I declare an interest as a member of the BMA ARM at the moment.

Earl Howe Portrait Earl Howe
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My Lords, the noble Baroness is right to draw attention to this issue, of which I am very conscious. Where we have commissioning, it is important that the population base for a given condition is sufficient for that commissioning organisation to contend with. With regard to specialised conditions, I am working hard to ensure that the model we propose will take them fully into account.