Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wes Streeting and Ben Obese-Jecty

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Mr Speaker, I am not ashamed to say that I have had a finger up my bum—not like that! In all seriousness, as a black man in the target age range, and with a family history, I am a keen advocate for prostate cancer screening. One of my constituents has been told by his GP surgery that, as there is no national screening programme for opportunistic testing, they follow national guidance and patients cannot request a screening without GP authorisation. What advice does the Secretary of State have for those of my constituents who are struggling to get screening for prostate cancer? I say a big thank you to the team at Kingston hospital for their swift action in moving my dad from active surveillance to treatment—he raves about them.

[Wes Streeting]

I certainly join the hon. Member in his final message and commend him for his declaration, because the more we can break taboo and stigma around these issues and get people talking more openly about the telltale signs of risk, the better protected we will all be. As he will know, we are looking very carefully at the recommendations around screening. I will be convening a group of experts with the chief medical officer to probe some of the recommendations, and I will keep the House informed.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wes Streeting and Ben Obese-Jecty

Tuesday 21st October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

T7. Hinchingbrooke hospital is one of the few hospitals in Cambridgeshire that are yet to have an electronic patient record system, and its current level of digital maturity is at the lowest end of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society scale. Hospitals within the new hospital programme are required to be at level 5 on the HIMSS scale, in line with the national digital capability framework. What financial assistance will be given to North West Anglia NHS foundation trust to facilitate an investment case, so that the rebuilt Hinchingbrooke hospital has a modern and enterprise-wide electronic patient record system?

[Wes Streeting]

The hon. Gentleman draws to our attention the appalling state that the NHS was left in by the previous Government. We are working at pace to introduce EPRs across the system. I am sure that Ministers would be happy to look at the case at his local hospital to clean up the mess that the Conservative party left behind.

NHS 10-Year Plan

Debate between Wes Streeting and Ben Obese-Jecty

Thursday 3rd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

The Secretary of State will be aware that the Carr-Hill formula has not been updated since its introduction in 2004: the staff market forces factor is based on earnings data from 1999 and the population density data that is used is the rurality adjustment from 2001, but the population of Huntingdonshire has increased by 30,000 since that time. I know that the Department has not conducted an impact assessment on the benefit of updating the formula, but the Secretary of State has announced that he will do so and that there will be sharp focus on money following need. Given that Huntingdon is a quickly growing region, where thousands more homes are set to be built in the next 10 years, will he clarify for my constituents that the formula will be updated and that GP surgeries in Huntingdon will receive a fairer allocation of the global sum funding?

[Wes Streeting]

I can give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that we are reforming the Carr-Hill formula and ensuring that funding is based on need. I am delighted to be working closely with the British Medical Association’s general practitioners committee on the reforms that we are making in this and other areas of general practice.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Wes Streeting and Ben Obese-Jecty

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

May I just say how regrettable it is that a sensible shadow Minister is sent along to parrot the absurd lines of her leader?

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

4. If he will take steps to repair Hinchingbrooke hospital before buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete reach the end of their lifespan in 2030.

New Hospital Programme Review

Debate between Wes Streeting and Ben Obese-Jecty

Monday 20th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

Hinchingbrooke hospital in Huntingdon is one of the RAAC hospitals for which funding has already been approved. That hospital will not be allocated grid space until quarter 1 of 2028, but it will need it by Q1 2027 in order to keep the build on track. Additionally, traffic around the hospital is frequently gridlocked. A vital new access road is part of the plans, but the land where it would go is owned by Cambridgeshire constabulary and National Highways, who are yet to give up the additional land they acquired via compulsory purchase order when constructing Views Common Road. Will the Health Secretary meet me in order to work through those blockers—given that they are all being caused by Government agencies—and meet Hinchingbrooke hospital’s 2030 delivery date, and can he confirm that the 2030 date is still the target?

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for his representations. This Government are on the side of the builders, not the blockers. I can confirm to him that we are determined to start Hinchingbrooke in 2027-28. We work closely with the local project team, but we would be delighted to receive representations about his frustrations with the delivery of that project.