Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Dan Poulter

Tuesday 1st April 2014 Commons Chamber

[Dr Poulter]

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and he has been a strong advocate for local mothers and families in his constituency. But he will also be aware that there was a review of maternity services in the Greater Manchester area that recognised that, by changing the way in which services were delivered, there could be improvements and 25 young children’s and babies’ lives could be saved each year. There has been a review, and that review is saving lives, so I commend any similar service reconfiguration that delivers similar benefits to women and patients.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

13. What steps the Government is taking to reduce the amount of sugar in children’s diet.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Dan Poulter

Tuesday 22nd October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Dr Poulter]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight some of the concerns that have been raised by the Royal College of Surgeons and other groups about the impact of the European working time directive in medicine. That is why we have tasked the royal college with investigating and doing some work on exactly what the impact is on surgical trainees and elsewhere in the health sector. We look forward to its reporting back, and I hope that that will be very informative for future discussions on other work force regulations.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

4. What estimate he has made of the number of NHS Trusts forecasting a financial deficit at the end of 2013-14.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter)]

The Trust Development Authority and Monitor, for foundation trusts, indicate that there will be a financial surplus across the health care provider sector in 2013-14.

[Nick Smith]

With so many NHS trusts in deficit and many missing their A and E targets, when will the Minister stop blaming everybody else and get a grip on the A and E crisis?

[Dr Poulter]

I am disappointed that the hon. Gentleman used a pre-prepared question and did not listen to my answer. Throughout the health care provider sector, over 80% of trusts and foundation trusts are in financial surplus, and the overall end-of-year forecast is pointing to a surplus of £109 million across the sector. To support hospitals through what can be very difficult winter periods, with flu and other seasonal problems, we have put in place measures including a £500 million fund for winter pressures. That will take the pressure off A and E—unlike in Wales, where the Welsh Administration are cutting the budget for the NHS. In Wales the NHS has failed to meet A and E waiting targets since 2009.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nick Smith and Dan Poulter

Tuesday 26th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

On performance data, what plans does the Minister have to expand the friends and family test so that it provides the reasons for patients’ views and real-time feedback on their experience of services?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter)]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The friends and family test will give real-time feedback about patient services, but we need to ensure that the data from the test are used effectively by local trusts and scrutinised by the Care Quality Commission and other organisations so that they can go in if there are problems to ensure that they stand up for the rights of patients.