Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Cunningham Excerpts

Tuesday 26th April 2011 Commons Chamber

[Paul Burstow]

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already indicated in today’s exchanges in this House, we are committed to listening and reflecting during this pause, and to ensuring that we come back with substantive improvements to the Bill to deliver its central purpose of improving health care for the people of this country.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

5. How much his Department allocated to the provision of out-of-hours surgeries in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

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

The Government do not allocate centrally how much money is spent by local NHS providers on out-of-hours services. However, in 2009-10, the last year for which figures are available, £403.8 million was spent on out-of-hours GP services in England and £1.6 million was spent on out-of-hours services in Coventry. We plan to give GPs and other health professionals greater powers to commission out-of-hours care to achieve high quality, integrated services that are focused on the needs of patients.

[Mr Cunningham]

Given that waiting times in emergency units are increasing, what will the Minister do to protect out-of-hours clinics?

[Mr Burns]

It was, of course, the hon. Gentleman’s Government who did so much to undermine the provision of out-of-hours services. We propose not only to review the existing framework, but to ensure that there are the real improvements that benefit patient care, which are so badly needed.