Oral Answers to Questions

Helen Goodman Excerpts

Tuesday 27th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Dinenage]

First, I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his elegant Movember facial decoration. I very much recommend that he keeps it.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was delighted to visit the East Devon constituency recently, where he was impressed by the work at some of the existing community hospitals and care hubs and discussed with Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust how it will work on a sustainable future for the constituency’s community hospital in Ottery St Mary.

[Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Lab)]

Since the Department says that it likes community hospitals, why are services and wards closing at the Richardson in Barnard Castle?

[Caroline Dinenage]

We know that patients prefer to be treated in their local area, which is much better for preventing hospital admission and getting people out of hospital for longer. However, such clinical decisions must be taken at a local level in consultation with local people.