Oral Answers to Questions

Paul Burstow Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

8. What arrangements he has put in place to involve dental practitioners in the commissioning of dental services.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Paul Burstow)]

Responsibility for the commissioning of all dental services across primary, salaried and secondary care will sit with the NHS Commissioning Board. The vision for commissioning dental services sees dental local professional networks developing and delivering local service plans and quality improvement strategies across all dental services and providing clinical leadership and expertise at local level. This will enable dentists, working with commissioners and other local stakeholders, to ensure that all dental services are integrated and work together in the most efficient way.

[Natascha Engel]

I thank the Minister for that answer, but I still do not see why GPs are good enough to commission services locally, but dentists are not. Can he explain exactly how dentists are to be involved, in the same way as GPs are, in commissioning services locally?

[Paul Burstow]

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer that I just gave. The vision for commissioning dental services sees dental local professional networks developing and delivering local services and local quality improvement strategies. Beyond that, it involves local health and wellbeing boards working together closely, involving local clinicians through the networks that I referred to earlier. The answer is that local dental clinicians will be fully involved in the ways that I have just described.

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

11. What steps his Department plans to take to assist hospitals with the cost of PFI payments.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Julian Huppert (Cambridge) (LD)]

14. What plans he has to ensure balanced political and geographical representation on health and wellbeing boards.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Paul Burstow)]

The Health and Social Care Bill sets minimum membership for health and wellbeing boards. The boards will provide local system leadership, assessing need and setting the strategy for commissioning health, social care and public health. Ensuring that the board has the benefit of a broad range of opinion and geographical spread is a matter for local decision. However, the Department’s health and wellbeing board national learning network is developing and sharing good practice to inform those decisions.

[Dr Huppert]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the ability of a health and wellbeing board to represent democratically the interests of the people in its area would be boosted by having a reasonable number of councillors on it with both geographical representation across the area and political balance?

[Paul Burstow]

We are telling local authorities that they can have a majority of elected members on health and wellbeing boards if that is the appropriate way forward for their local community. My hon. Friend’s area, Cambridgeshire county council, recognises the importance of ensuring that there is a geographical spread and a full involvement of local opinion in those boards. There is a special event next January for stakeholders to get information about that, in which I hope my hon. Friend will take part.

[Chris Evans (Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op)]

Is not there a danger that health and wellbeing boards will simply be a talking shop for bureaucrats?

[Paul Burstow]

No.

[Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)]

15. What plans he has to ensure that the NHS is prepared for winter pressures.

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[Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)]

17. What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future costs of long-term social care.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Paul Burstow)]

The Government are committed to publishing a White Paper and a progress report, responding to both the Law Commission and the Dilnot commission recommendations. As part of ongoing work, there have been numerous discussions throughout the Government, including with Her Majesty’s Treasury.

[Julie Hilling]

At least 5,000 families a month are having to make decisions about the long-term care of loved ones. Since the election, thousands have had to sell their homes and spend every penny on care. How many more people—and for how much longer—will have to be terrified about their future?

[Paul Burstow]

If the hon. Lady had prefaced her question with an apology for failing to sort out the problem for 13 years, I might have taken it more seriously. This Government moved urgently to establish the commission chaired by Andrew Dilnot, we are now actively working through his proposals, and we will come forward with legislation and a White Paper in due course.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the integration of health and social care should be leveraged by commissioners to encourage savings in the acute sector, to contribute to funding much-needed improvements in long-term social care?

[Paul Burstow]

There is no doubt that more integration between health and social care is a way of improving the quality of services delivered to the public, and of releasing resources that can then be reinvested in improving services. We know, for example, that the use of reablement services can reduce costs and improve the quality of life outcomes for the people who receive them.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

18. What steps he is taking to improve the training of nurses and doctors.

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[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Figures today reveal that older women are being discriminated against in breast cancer treatment, with some 20% of women over 65 receiving chemotherapy compared with some 70% of women under 50. Will the Minister assure the House that those who are over 65 will receive equitable treatment, and that this discrimination will stop?

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Paul Burstow)]

I am grateful for that question, and I assure the hon. Gentleman that the Government are determined to root out ageism wherever it might be within the NHS. That is why we have made it clear that there will be no exemptions from age discrimination legislation—and that will have to be taken into account by clinicians when they make decisions.

[Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)]

The recent judicial review concerning the unit at the Royal Brompton hospital said that the Safe and Sustainable consultation was unlawful and the review should be quashed. Considering the concern about this matter and the flaws in the review, is it not time for the Minister to indicate when the Government might intervene? Otherwise, there could be further threats of judicial review.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) (Lab)]

Today’s report by Macmillan Cancer Support showed that over the past 40 years there has been virtually no improvement in life expectancy for those diagnosed with a brain tumour. Brain Tumour UK and experts such as my city’s own Professor David Walker are calling for action to improve diagnosis and treatment. What action is the Department taking to address their concerns?

[Paul Burstow]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her question. Macmillan has done a very good job by highlighting the need to focus on survival rates with regard not only to brain cancers but to lung cancers. Through our outcomes strategy, we are focusing on earlier diagnosis and ensuring that the care pathway is faster and delivers the appropriate treatments at the right time.