NHS England Funding: Announcement to Media Debate

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Department: Department of Health and Social Care

NHS England Funding: Announcement to Media

Paul Bristow Excerpts
Monday 25th October 2021

(2 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Edward Argar Portrait Edward Argar
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The hon. Lady will know that, while her local clinical commissioning group—her local health system—may well be considering various options, it has not put any particular option forward to me in that context. I look forward to seeing her letter, but I am certainly happy to meet her if that pre-empts my reply.

Paul Bristow Portrait Paul Bristow (Peterborough) (Con)
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My constituents in Peterborough will be thrilled with the £5.9 billion to clear the backlog and the extra cash for diagnostic services, but they will also be keen that that money is spent well. Will the Minister ensure that many more clinicians practise at the top of their licence doing the things that we need them to do, rather than spend their time doing things that clerical staff and more junior colleagues would be better placed doing?

Edward Argar Portrait Edward Argar
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We need to make sure that our NHS workforce, which is diverse in terms of its skills and background, is able to work where those skills are most effectively deployed to deliver the best outcomes for patients. My hon. Friend is absolutely right: where are there are administrative tasks, which I do not in any way denigrate, that are better performed by an administrator than a clinician, we should be looking to deliver that.