Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Matthew Pennycook and Jeremy Hunt(7 years, 5 months ago)
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Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
T7. At the height of the recent election campaign, NHS England took forward plans to merge, in effect, six south London CCGs, including Greenwich CCG, under one single chief officer. Does the Minister agree that that would be a retrograde step, not only in terms of local accountability, but at a time when primary care has been devolved downwards and all the emphasis is on collaboration and integration at a local borough level?
Mr Hunt
I think the answer is that this varies from area to area. The CCGs grew up organically following the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Some parts of the country are discovering that the groups can be more effective if they combine forces, but these things have to be decided locally.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Matthew Pennycook and Jeremy Hunt(9 years, 5 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Hunt
In the first instance, patients who are concerned about safety should contact the trust concerned, even though it is a different trust legally from the one that was there before. The CQC is there to ensure that any lessons about the safety of care are disseminated throughout the NHS. That is an important part of the transparency culture that we are introducing.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
6. What progress the Government have made on achieving parity of esteem for physical and mental health services.