Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Crausby and Simon Burns

Tuesday 27th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Shuker (Luton South) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What his most recent estimate is of the cost of NHS reorganisation.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)]

The cost of the NHS modernisation is estimated to be between £1.2 billion and £1.3 billion. It will save £4.5 billion over the rest of this Parliament and £1.5 billion a year to 2020. We will reinvest every penny saved in the NHS in front-line services.

[Mr Crausby]

The Bolton clinical commissioning group estimates that its budget will be about £25 per Bolton resident, or £100 for a couple with two children. Is that not too much, considering that they will get no medical treatment at all from that money, just administration money paid to doctors who should really be treating patients and not sat in the back office?

[Mr Burns]

No, I do not believe it is. The administration figure that has been announced for CCGs throughout the country is £25 a patient, but if a CCG is more effective and efficient in providing administration and bureaucracy and makes savings, those savings can be transferred and reinvested in funding the care of their patients. That is an incentive for them to be streamlined and to ensure that that happens.