Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Kinnock and Ian Sollom

Tuesday 21st October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ian Sollom (St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire) (LD)]

T3. The Arthur Rank hospice in Cambridgeshire is losing £829,000 in NHS funding, which is forcing the closure of nine beds—40% of its capacity. Does the Minister believe that dying patients are cared for better in overstretched hospital wards than in specialist hospices, and will he please not fob me off with talk of capital investment? This is about operational costs.

[Stephen Kinnock]

As I have pointed out, we are providing unprecedented levels of funding for hospices, but there is clearly a challenging fiscal position. I note that in their manifesto the Liberal Democrats proposed to spend only an extra £8 billion on health and care, whereas we have invested £26 billion. Before calling for more spending, they should tell us what they would cut.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Kinnock and Ian Sollom

Tuesday 25th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

I am very sorry to hear about my hon. Friend’s constituents’ experience. Accessing vital medicines while travelling between nations should be seamless, and I will ask NHS England to work with NHS Scotland to better understand what needs to change to make things easier for patients across the UK.

[Ian Sollom (St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire) (LD)]

T7.   In the light of the recently announced 50% staffing reductions across integrated care boards, has the Secretary of State made any assessment of how those cuts to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB will delay the delivery of essential new primary care services for my rapidly growing constituency, particularly in Northstowe, Cambourne and St Neots, where thousands of constituents are already facing unacceptable difficulties in accessing care?