Prostate Cancer Screening

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2026 Westminster Hall

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I declare my interest as an officer of the APPG for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a subject close to my heart: we all know that it affects black men, middle-aged men and men with a family history of it, and I tick all those boxes.

My father has prostate cancer and is undergoing treatment. I thank all the staff at Kingston hospital for their swift treatment of him, given he was under active surveillance. That is an important point: he got a PSA test, discovered that he had prostate cancer and as a result was placed on active surveillance because he was below the threshold required for treatment. When that active surveillance proved that he needed to be treated, staff were able to act quickly. That has, fundamentally, saved his life. He would not be eligible for the Transform trial, which will now include black men, until 2028. Who knows how far the cancer might have progressed by that point?

I take my health quite seriously and get a PSA test annually. I got my last PSA test last month and thankfully all is okay for me, but regular testing means I can keep track of it and pay attention to it. It is obvious that we need to encourage more men to get themselves tested. There are a lot of middle-aged men in this Chamber and I suspect that not everybody has had a PSA test, or had one recently.

In August, the Department of Health and Social Care withdrew the prostate cancer risk management programme after 24 years. PCRMP provided a dedicated framework for the informed choice model for PSA testing among asymptomatic men. New guidance removes references to men over 50 being considered to be at increased risk. Now that the guidance underpinning the framework has been withdrawn, will the Minister clarify how requests for testing for asymptomatic men will be handled in practice? I would be grateful if she would also clarify the Government’s official position, stated last week at Health parliamentary questions. I would also appreciate her confirmation that should men suspect that they have symptoms they can go to their GP and seek a PSA test for prostate cancer.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Yvette Cooper]

As my hon. Friend may know, we have just announced £140 million of new investment in urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency services. That is exactly to ensure that we are easing the pressures around accident and emergency, which went up substantially this summer, linked to the extreme heat. I know that Ministers would be happy to discuss his local proposals with him.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

I thank the Minister for her recent confirmation that the renal dialysis service would remain at Hinchingbrooke hospital in my constituency during the build under the new hospital programme, but I am conscious that it is not in the scope of the actual new hospital and may not be there in the longer term. Can she offer me some assurances that this vital service for constituents will remain at Hinchingbrooke? If not, is any provision being made to ensure that this local resource stays available?

[Karin Smyth]

I am glad the hon. Gentleman found that correspondence helpful. As he knows, I am keen to discuss the new hospital programme and its progress with all Members. I am sure that discussions about the renal service at Hinchingbrooke continue to take place locally, and that those involved will continue to work together. I know that the hon. Gentleman will keep in touch about the progress of the discussions on behalf of his constituents, and I am happy to talk to him about the issue.

Health Bill

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 1st June 2026 Commons Chamber

[James Murray]

I am going to make some progress, if I may.

These changes will streamline tasks for NHS staff, freeing them from admin and bureaucracy to focus their energy on caring for patients. They will transform the experience we all have as patients, giving us control and reducing our anxiety over the care we receive. They will reduce the costs of delivering healthcare, so that more of the money we spend goes to the frontline, where it belongs. That is the future we must build, and the road to that future runs through this Bill.

For many years, patient groups have warned about the pitfalls and shortcomings of fragmented information systems in the NHS, and they are absolutely right. Right now, information in the NHS tends to follow the institution, not the individual. That is why we all know the familiar frustration of having to repeat the same story over and over, every time we see a new nurse, doctor or consultant. The reason for this is that too often no one, including the patient themselves, can see a full summary of a patient’s medical record in one place. Those patchy care records are not just an inconvenience or a source of anxiety and distress; they can also be a risk to patient safety.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

I welcome the Secretary of State to his place. Hinchingbrooke hospital in my constituency is one of the new hospitals to be built as part of the new hospital programme—it is in wave zero—but it currently does not have an electronic patient record system, so we have the fragmented patient history that he has just mentioned. It desperately needs to increase its rating on the HIMSS—Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society—scale as a new hospital, but it does not have the funding required to install a patient record system. Will he guarantee that the hospital will receive the funding required to deliver a new electronic patient record system?

[James Murray]

I am happy to look into the specific circumstances the hon. Gentleman refers to and get back to him. More widely, however, the investment is secured across the Government for implementing the single patient record system. That will mean that, rather than data being transferred from where it exists at the moment to a new system, it will remain where it is—in GP surgeries, hospitals and so on—but it will be linked up so that one person, including the patient, can see all that data from the middle of the network of information.

GP Contract

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Monday 16th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question; I can feel the passion with which he asks it, particularly because of his family connection. It is vital that clinically urgent patients get treatment on day one. We are confident that that is happening in many cases, but embedding it in the contract means an additional level of transparency and commitment from all sides of the equation. That is really important, because it recognises the good performance that is already happening in many cases but will also drive up performance in areas where it is not at the level at which it should be.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Cambridgeshire receives an increasingly raw deal from the Carr-Hill formula, due to the fact that the population demographics have changed so dramatically over the past 25 years. I therefore welcome the announcement that the Carr-Hill formula will be reviewed and that a new formula will be in place by 1 April next year. Cambridgeshire is about to move into a mega-ICB with Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, so could the Minister allay the concerns in my constituency about how that will affect Cambridgeshire? We are about to see a change in the Carr-Hill formula, and we are about to move into one of the biggest ICBs in the country, which will undoubtedly have an impact on local services.

[Stephen Kinnock]

Clearly, a lot of change is happening in the system, but that is because a lot of change was required. Frankly, we have to do what we are doing if we are going to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future, with the three big shifts set out in our 10-year plan. Part of that is about the structure. Our view is that we can consolidate more of the back-office activity, which will free up more resources and allow us to do more on the frontline. ICBs play a vital role in that, particularly in commissioning. We want to see more strategic commissioning and more resource and expertise put into the parts of the ICB that are delivering better outcomes in population health. We must also see less duplication and more streamlining of back-office functions. It is about getting more efficiency but also being more responsive to patients and practitioners on the frontline.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Karin Smyth]

I thank my hon. Friend for her constructive approach to this difficult issue. She is right to challenge; we must have open and transparent debate. To be very clear—and to refer to my previous answer—the Secretary of State will use that power. We will have a retrospective data linkage study to identify the associations informing patient experience and outcomes, through the analysis of available digital information in health records and other nationally held databases. It will not establish causation but will be an important contribution to the evidence base.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Mr Speaker, I am not ashamed to say that I have had a finger up my bum—not like that! In all seriousness, as a black man in the target age range, and with a family history, I am a keen advocate for prostate cancer screening. One of my constituents has been told by his GP surgery that, as there is no national screening programme for opportunistic testing, they follow national guidance and patients cannot request a screening without GP authorisation. What advice does the Secretary of State have for those of my constituents who are struggling to get screening for prostate cancer? I say a big thank you to the team at Kingston hospital for their swift action in moving my dad from active surveillance to treatment—he raves about them.

[Wes Streeting]

I certainly join the hon. Member in his final message and commend him for his declaration, because the more we can break taboo and stigma around these issues and get people talking more openly about the telltale signs of risk, the better protected we will all be. As he will know, we are looking very carefully at the recommendations around screening. I will be convening a group of experts with the chief medical officer to probe some of the recommendations, and I will keep the House informed.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Tuesday 21st October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

Through a £160 million investment in the additional roles reimbursement scheme, we have recruited more than 2,000 new GPs nationwide, but we recognise the inequities in funding that can exacerbate regional inequalities in access to services. I have launched a review of the GP funding formula to ensure that funding follows the needs of the population. The National Institute for Health and Care Research has begun a review of the Carr-Hill funding formula, which will conclude in six months’ time.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

T7. Hinchingbrooke hospital is one of the few hospitals in Cambridgeshire that are yet to have an electronic patient record system, and its current level of digital maturity is at the lowest end of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society scale. Hospitals within the new hospital programme are required to be at level 5 on the HIMSS scale, in line with the national digital capability framework. What financial assistance will be given to North West Anglia NHS foundation trust to facilitate an investment case, so that the rebuilt Hinchingbrooke hospital has a modern and enterprise-wide electronic patient record system?

[Wes Streeting]

The hon. Gentleman draws to our attention the appalling state that the NHS was left in by the previous Government. We are working at pace to introduce EPRs across the system. I am sure that Ministers would be happy to look at the case at his local hospital to clean up the mess that the Conservative party left behind.

NHS 10-Year Plan

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

The Secretary of State will be aware that the Carr-Hill formula has not been updated since its introduction in 2004: the staff market forces factor is based on earnings data from 1999 and the population density data that is used is the rurality adjustment from 2001, but the population of Huntingdonshire has increased by 30,000 since that time. I know that the Department has not conducted an impact assessment on the benefit of updating the formula, but the Secretary of State has announced that he will do so and that there will be sharp focus on money following need. Given that Huntingdon is a quickly growing region, where thousands more homes are set to be built in the next 10 years, will he clarify for my constituents that the formula will be updated and that GP surgeries in Huntingdon will receive a fairer allocation of the global sum funding?

[Wes Streeting]

I can give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that we are reforming the Carr-Hill formula and ensuring that funding is based on need. I am delighted to be working closely with the British Medical Association’s general practitioners committee on the reforms that we are making in this and other areas of general practice.

Hospitals

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

I will focus my speech specifically on Hinchingbrooke hospital, and highlight some key issues that will impact delivery of our new hospital in Huntingdon. During the general election campaign, I pledged to fight for the resources to rebuild Hinchingbrooke, and I will continue to push this Labour Government to ensure that they follow through on the programme they committed to deliver.

In May 2023, the then Health Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Steve Barclay), announced that Hinchingbrooke was part of the Government’s new hospital programme. Since that time, I have been concerned that this Government are not acting with enough haste to address the issues faced at Hinchingbrooke. There has been a lack of clarity, particularly regarding the ongoing traffic issues around Hinchingbrooke and the lack of a firm commitment to upgrade the road network as part of the project, which has caused concerns across my constituency.

While I welcome the fact that Hinchingbrooke is rightly in wave 1 of the programme, we need clarity on the timeframe. Although this Government are aware of the RAAC issues, they have still not given a detailed timeframe as to when we will get our hospital built; there is a vague start date, but no completion date. Crucially, in September 2024, the Minister for Secondary Care confirmed in a written answer to me that the detailed structural assessment of Hinchingbrooke hospital in 2022

“estimated that the remaining life of the RAAC panels”

extended to “approximately 2030”, even after

“the installation of fail-safe steelwork.”

In February, she stated that this summer, the Government will publish a report

“assessing the clinical and operational impacts of the running of the existing hospital beyond the estimated life of the current hospital site”.

With the delays already caused by road access and grid access, and the lack of clarity about a start date or a completion date, what assurances can the Minister give that my constituents will not find themselves in a condemned hospital building after 2030, with the DHSC simply owning the risk that it will collapse? If the new hospital is to be completed by 2030, we need plans, action, and focus on making sure that any changes are usable, safe and fit for purpose, with no more delays.

In short, the following issues must be addressed in order for Hinchingbrooke to be delivered: the programme business case for the NHP must receive ministerial approval; a hospital 2.0-compliant design must be approved and delivered; a capital envelope of at least £900 million and a realistic contingency must be allocated; and mobilisation of the programme must be quick. It is clear that the 2030 target might now be unreachable, but mobilisation by spring 2026 seems realistic, and I will push the Government and all stakeholders to work towards that target. There also needs to be further work between Hinchingbrooke and the NHP to develop a strategic outline case, and it is crucial that that case is then approved as soon as possible in order to complete the new hospital by as close to 2030 as possible.

We also need grid access that is fit for purpose, as the current grid access will not be sufficient for Hinchingbrooke. Currently, the gap between sufficient grid space being approved and meeting that which is required will be a year—that is clearly not appropriate. There are issues regarding a vital new access road to alleviate traffic. Those issues are caused by land owned jointly by Cambridgeshire constabulary and National Highways. The Government must get all stakeholders around the table to reach a solution, given that they are public bodies.

To conclude, I reaffirm that I will do all I can to work with the Government, the NHS and others to make sure that my constituents get the new hospital they so desperately need.

Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

May I just say how regrettable it is that a sensible shadow Minister is sent along to parrot the absurd lines of her leader?

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

4. If he will take steps to repair Hinchingbrooke hospital before buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete reach the end of their lifespan in 2030.

[The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)]

As I am sure the hon. Member knows, Hinchingbrooke hospital is in wave 1 of the new hospital programme, and his constituents can now look forward to a new hospital under this Labour Government. The hospital has received over £44 million to deliver RAAC mitigation safety works, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has commissioned a site-by-site survey of RAAC hospitals, which will ensure that individual development plans address the highest-risk elements as soon as possible.

[Ben Obese-Jecty]

Last July, Deborah Lee, the senior responsible officer for the Hinchingbrooke hospital redevelopment programme, stated that the deadline for the new hospital was 2030. In a written answer to me last year, the Minister confirmed that, even after the mitigation measures of failsafe steelwork, the lifespan of the remaining RAAC buildings would run only until approximately 2030. Can the Secretary of State confirm that the rebuild, and all waves of the new hospital programme, will not be delayed by the review of building safety regulations guidance announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in December? Will he assure my constituents that the RAAC buildings at Hinchingbrooke will be safe to use beyond 2030, and if so, will he publish the risk assessment that he has conducted to confirm that?

[Karin Smyth]

The hon. Gentleman has outlined the shocking state of some hospitals. I confirm again that we want a site-by-site report of those hospitals for exactly that purpose: to ensure that they are safe and to understand any critical issues before the schemes go forward. We expect that report in the summer.

New Hospital Programme Review

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Monday 20th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Hinchingbrooke hospital in Huntingdon is one of the RAAC hospitals for which funding has already been approved. That hospital will not be allocated grid space until quarter 1 of 2028, but it will need it by Q1 2027 in order to keep the build on track. Additionally, traffic around the hospital is frequently gridlocked. A vital new access road is part of the plans, but the land where it would go is owned by Cambridgeshire constabulary and National Highways, who are yet to give up the additional land they acquired via compulsory purchase order when constructing Views Common Road. Will the Health Secretary meet me in order to work through those blockers—given that they are all being caused by Government agencies—and meet Hinchingbrooke hospital’s 2030 delivery date, and can he confirm that the 2030 date is still the target?

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for his representations. This Government are on the side of the builders, not the blockers. I can confirm to him that we are determined to start Hinchingbrooke in 2027-28. We work closely with the local project team, but we would be delighted to receive representations about his frustrations with the delivery of that project.