Health

Debate between Norman Lamb and Gordon Birtwistle

Monday 9th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Gordon Birtwistle]

I am delighted to hear that, and I would like Wiltshire to become a standard that everyone else copies. I would hope that my constituency and the rest of Lancashire copies that. There are great companies—I know a few good companies that really care about the customer. These elderly people are customers: if Tesco treated people like some of those carers, they would shop somewhere else. Unfortunately, elderly people cannot go anywhere else, because a contract has been organised, and they have to use it. I urge the Minister to consider those suggestions and look at ways of improving the service that we deliver to our old people. I would be very happy if he did so, and I am sure that he would be too.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb)]

I completely agree with what my hon. Friend is trying to achieve. I hope that he is reassured that the Government have effectively introduced compulsory minimum training for all care assistants for the first time. I think he will welcome that.

[Gordon Birtwistle]

I do welcome it, and I am delighted to have heard that. I just hope that we make it a major condition of all Government and local authority contracts that all companies deliver that service to our elderly people. We will all become elderly—I am catching up very quickly—so who knows how soon it will be before someone comes to my house to say, “Gordon, it’s bedtime. It’s 8 o’clock—it’s toilet time.” That’s the worst thing I think I have ever heard—someone coming in and saying that it is toilet time. An old man said to me: “I do not want to go to the toilet, but I am told that it is time to go to the toilet.” It is just not acceptable to do that to an elderly man. I am delighted to hear what the Minister said, and I hope that we ensure that it continues in future so that we really respect and care for the people who have put us where we are today.