NHS: Finances and Services

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe Excerpts

Tuesday 27th January 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jolly]

My noble friend makes a very interesting point. Perhaps they should look at some of the examples that are actually used in the NHS in England.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Lab)]

Is it not true that in Scotland and in Wales, there are more chronic, long-term sick patients than there are in the UK generally? Will the Minister say why, each time a Minister replies to questions on the failing performance, they pray in aid the number of additional patients who are now going into the NHS? Is this coming as a great surprise? Is it a surprise that people are getting older? What is the projection for the next five years about the numbers that we have to deal with? Surely this should be planned for.

[Baroness Jolly]

Indeed it should be planned for. There are now a million more people over 65 than there were at the beginning of this Parliament, but at the beginning of this Parliament there were no plans to cope with that onward growth.