Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Hammond Excerpts

Tuesday 26th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Derek Thomas (St Ives) (Con)]

2. What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS has the workforce that it needs to meet the objectives of its 10-year plan.

[The Minister for Health (Stephen Hammond)]

The long-term plan sets out how we will make the NHS a world-class employer and ensure that the NHS has the people that it needs. The NHS, led by Baroness Harding, is engaging with people across the sector to develop a people plan. That plan will set out how the challenges of supply and demand reform can be met, and it will be published in the spring.

[Derek Thomas]

I thank the Minister for that response. In Cornwall, we have set up the Health and Social Care Academy, and we use the apprenticeship levy to enable local people to train within the NHS service or social care wherever they want to. However, there are many restrictions around the levy, and I wonder if the Minister will meet me and others to discuss how the levy can actually be about training and supporting people into the NHS, rather than just restrictions about paying fees.

[Stephen Hammond]

The apprenticeship levy was obviously introduced to cover the training and assessment costs of apprenticeships at a rate that would meet employee demand. I recognise some of the challenges that there are, and I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the issues that he has raised.

[Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)]

19.   The NHS 10-year plan in Plymouth will be delivered not only by NHS staff but by social enterprise staff. Those staff who work for social enterprise Livewell in Plymouth have had difficulty accessing the NHS pay rise and the NHS pension uplift. Will the Minister agree to meet me and Livewell’s staff so that we can resolve this issue, to ensure that all staff who work for a social enterprise receive the pensions they deserve?

[Stephen Hammond]

The hon. Gentleman knows that I wrote to him on 20 March on this issue, and I outlined that officials from DHSC had contacted the scheme administrator about the issues with Livewell. I can confirm that the members there would still be dealt with in the way set out prior to the implementation date, and I am happy to meet him.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

The best way that Kettering General Hospital could deliver the NHS’s 10-year plan would be to have the funding for an urgent care hub. I thank the Hospitals Minister for visiting recently. What can he do to ensure that that project is delivered?

[Stephen Hammond]

I was delighted to visit Kettering and to meet the chief executive and the chairman of the trust again. They made very strong representations. The representations by my hon. Friend and the trust have been heard, and he knows that they are at the forefront of my mind.

[Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)]

Changes to the pensions allowance are particularly impacting consultants in their willingness to do additional shifts, or indeed stay in their roles, so what discussions has the Minister had with the Chancellor about the effect of the changes to pension allowances on the retention of consultants in the NHS?

[Stephen Hammond]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have both had conversations with the Treasury and the Chancellor, and there are ongoing discussions.

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

The Government have done well to get more medical students into general practice, but we are not doing quite so well at retaining GPs later on. What more can we do to make sure that GPs stay in general practice, so that more of our constituents can go and see a doctor more easily?

[Stephen Hammond]

NHS Improvement has a number of retention schemes in place, for GPs and for nurses, to look at why some people are leaving. The interim plan being developed by Baroness Harding has an employer of excellence work stream, which will report on a number of potential issues.

[Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South) (Lab/Co-op)]

May I just take a moment, on behalf of the Opposition Front Bench team, to thank the hon. Member for Winchester (Steve Brine) for all his work? We found him a decent, fair-minded Minister, and I wish to pass on my personal thanks for the work that he did on the children of alcoholics agenda.

We have 100,000 vacancies across the NHS. The Brexit mess means that we have fewer EU nurses and health visitors. Across the NHS, voluntary resignations are up 55% since 2011, and the professional development budgets have been cut by £250 million. Does the Minister agree that for Dido Harding’s review to be taken seriously, those cuts to continuing professional development must be reversed?

[Stephen Hammond]

As the hon. Gentleman heard me say earlier, Baroness Harding is developing the implementation plan, which will then feed into the final implementation plan published after the comprehensive spending review. The cuts, as he describes them, are not cuts. He knows that we are increasing the budget for the NHS in real terms and in cash terms up to 2023-24.

[Jonathan Ashworth]

The Minister is responsible for workforce, but does not seem to understand that training budgets have been cut. Baroness Harding’s review will only be taken seriously if it is backed up by real investment.

Outsourcing and transferring of staff, whether to wholly owned subsidiaries or the privatisation of clinical services, further undermines staff morale and creates a more fragmented workforce. The Secretary of State went to the Health and Social Care Committee and said no more privatisations on his watch, yet cancer scanning services in Oxford are being privatised. Will the Minister reverse those privatisations, or can we simply not believe a word the Secretary of State says?

[Stephen Hammond]

The hon. Gentleman can believe everything my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State says. He has delivered on his promise to work with the NHS to deliver a long-term plan, to deliver the funding that will make it possible, and to deliver the workforce that will ensure the plan is not undermined.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon) (Lab)]

3. What assessment he has made of the effect on life expectancy projections of health inequalities; and if he will make a statement.

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[Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con)]

8. What steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS nursing associates.

[The Minister for Health (Stephen Hammond)]

Health Education England is leading a national nursing associate expansion plan to train 7,500 apprentice associates in 2019, building on the 5,000 who were trained in 2018.

[Mr Speaker]

Will the Minister face the House, please? Andrew Lewer.

[Andrew Lewer]

The University of Northampton successfully carried out its partnership with Northampton General Hospital in training the first wave of nursing associates in the United Kingdom, as the Secretary of State saw when he visited the hospital recently. What can he and his team do to encourage other universities and local hospitals to form partnerships to deliver similar results?

[Stephen Hammond]

I know that the Secretary of State enjoyed his visit and was very impressed by what he saw. Health Education England has led the establishment of test site partnerships across England. There were 11 test sites in the first wave and a further 24 in April 2017, and the programme is now being rolled out all over the country.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

What discussions has the Minister had with nursing associations and the Home Secretary about the recruitment of nurses and social care workers from the European Union after we leave and about how it can be made easier?

[Stephen Hammond]

I know that my hon. Friend the Minister for Care met the Home Secretary last week and that there are ongoing discussions.

[Sir Hugo Swire (East Devon) (Con)]

9. What support his Department provides for the (a) study and (b) treatment of Lyme disease.

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[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

13. What guidance the Government have issued to sustainability and transformation partnerships on drafting their five-year workforce plans.

[The Minister for Health (Stephen Hammond)]

Workforce is a key priority for the Government, which is why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State asked Baroness Dido Harding to develop an interim workforce implementation plan for the spring, including a 2019-20 action plan. It is right that local leaders and clinicians should be empowered to shape the services they need, which is why NHS Improvement has written to all system leaders in England to ask for their views on the vision that is coming forward.

[Jeff Smith]

The all-party parliamentary group on mental health’s recent report found that workforce is the biggest challenge to delivering improvements to mental health care. Given that there are 4,000 fewer mental health nurses than there were in 2010, what additional guidance and funding will the Government provide to ensure that local partnerships can recruit mental health nurses, and what are they doing to expand medical school places so that we can train more doctors, particularly in psychiatric specialties?

[Stephen Hammond]

The hon. Gentleman asked a number of questions there. It is true that the NHS has recently asked all sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems to create new five-year plans by autumn 2019 setting out how they are going to transform services. He will know that mental health is a priority in the long-term plan and that we are expanding the number of places for clinicians.

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss the severe shortage of pathologists to carry out post mortems? Professor Peter Hutton’s report referenced some ideas that we could take forward.

[Stephen Hammond]

My hon. Friend has already mentioned several such ideas and I would be happy to meet him to discuss them.

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

16. Cancer Research UK estimates that by 2035 there will be over half a million new cancer cases—up by 150,000 a year on 2015 levels. To meet the Government’s ambition of diagnosing 75% of cancers at an early stage, does the Minister accept that the NHS will need a proper training and recruitment plan for its cancer workforce, which must be fully funded in the upcoming spending review?

[Stephen Hammond]

The hon. Gentleman is right: early diagnosis of cancer is vital for successful outcomes. The Government are absolutely committed to a cancer workforce with the skills and expertise to ensure that 75% of all cancers are diagnosed early, not just the top 10. As I have said several times, that is why we asked Baroness Dido Harding to develop a detailed workforce plan to ensure that that can be delivered.

[Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)]

Blood cancer is the fifth most common and the third biggest killer in the UK. What assurances can I get that the workforce in that area will be increased?

[Stephen Hammond]

My hon. Friend has been a champion of this cause for a long time, raising the matter on the Floor of the House several times. He can be assured that, as I said to the hon. Member for City of Chester (Christian Matheson), Baroness Harding has been asked to bring forward detailed plans for the cancer workforce in her implementation plan.

[Paula Sherriff (Dewsbury) (Lab)]

Mental health nurse numbers have fallen for the second month running, and learning disability nurse numbers have fallen by 40% since this Government came to power. Nearly 13,000 mental health staff left their roles between May and October 2018, and the vacancy rate is now almost 10%. The King’s Fund, the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation say that

“Urgent action is now required to avoid a vicious cycle of growing shortages and declining quality.”

Is it not time for Ministers to start taking such advice, rather than giving it?

[Stephen Hammond]

The Department of course takes such things seriously. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Care met Baroness Harding last week to discuss how to ensure that there are nurses and carers to help people with learning disabilities. The money that has been promised to make that possible comes in the new financial year, which starts next week.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

14. What progress his Department has made on the implementation of a public health approach to tackling violence.

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[Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)]

T9. Breast cancer oncology is the most recent service to be closed at Scarborough Hospital. It follows the closure of the pain clinic, dermatology, the eye clinic and physiotherapy. These are not cuts, but a contrived centralisation by the trust in York. Will the Secretary of State intervene to ensure that there is a full range of service right across my constituency?

[The Minister for Health (Stephen Hammond)]

I commend my hon. Friend for his commitment to raising the local priorities of his constituents and for the campaigning he does on behalf of the local NHS. I think that these plans are best worked through by the local NHS. However, if he would like, I would be happy to meet him to discuss the concerns that he has on behalf of his constituents.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

T7. Possability People is a disability charity in my constituency that has operated consistently for the last 30 years. Some 85% of its funding comes from the clinical commissioning group, but on 12 March it received a letter saying that the funding would stop in April. That follows the CCG’s decision last year to stop all funding for the low-vision clinic in my constituency. From April onwards, disabled people will have to go to their GP to access these services, which will cost more for the health service. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how we can save money?

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[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

The north-west of England has only half the number of ambulances per head of population as London. In rural Cumbria, the situation is far worse. Will the Secretary of State agree to our proposal for an additional two ambulances for Westmorland so that we can keep our communities safe?

[Stephen Hammond]

The hon. Gentleman will know that, in the winter funding round, extra ambulances were provided across the whole country. I am happy to meet him and discuss his proposals, which I will then consider carefully.

[Nicky Morgan (Loughborough) (Con)]

ADHD Solutions is a community interest company based in the constituency of the shadow Health Secretary that serves children and young people with ADHD across Leicester and Leicestershire. Fifty per cent. of its referrals come from the NHS, yet it does not get funding for those referrals; however, those NHS services are able to meet NICE guidelines because ADHD Solutions is doing the job. Will the Health Secretary meet me and the shadow Health Secretary to discuss that?