Oral Answers to Questions Debate
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Graeme Morrice
Main Page: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)Department Debates - View all Graeme Morrice's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(13 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Graeme Morrice (Livingston) (Lab)
1. What recent assessment he has made of front-line staffing levels in the NHS.
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)
We fully recognise how important front-line staff are to the provision of high-quality care. Local organisations are best placed to plan the work force who are required to deliver safe and high-quality services to patients.
Graeme Morrice
The Prime Minister promised to cut the deficit and not the national health service. Can the Minister tell us what has changed?
Mr Burns
Nothing has changed. As the hon. Gentleman will know, the NHS budget is a protected budget, and during the lifetime of the present Parliament it will receive real-terms increases. What the hon. Gentleman may not know is that the number of full-time equivalent clinical staff working in the NHS today is higher than it was in May 2010 and September 2009.