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3 Feb 1997 : Column 772
DELEGATED LEGISLATION
Madam Speaker: With permission, I shall put together the motions relating to delegated legislation.
Motion made, and Question put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 101(6) (Standing Committees on Delegated Legislation),
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.--[Mr. Peter Ainsworth.]
Mr. Nirj Joseph Deva (Brentford and Isleworth):
Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity--[Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
Order. Mr. Deva is speaking. Hon. Members must take their seats.
Mr. Deva:
I am grateful for this opportunity to raise an issue affecting the health, care and well-being of a majority of my constituents in Hounslow, Brentford and Isleworth: the future of West Middlesex University hospital. The hospital also serves the constituents of my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel)--who works very hard on behalf of his constituents, and whom I am pleased to see in the Chamber for this debate--and of the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Mr. Keen), who is not here because he is indisposed, although he has sent his apologies.
The West Middlesex University hospital, in Isleworth, is a key acute hospital in west London. It serves a local population of more than 310,000 people and plays a vital role for Heathrow airport, not least in offering speedy access to hospital facilities in emergencies. After much careful planning by the hospital NHS trust, the hospital is now preparing for a major redevelopment, which will allow it to respond to the health care demands of the local community well into the 21st century.
There are always many people involved in such a project, but it is right that I should place on record my congratulations to Mrs. Jane Kelly, the chairman of the trust, and to Mr. John de Braux, the chief executive, on everything that they have done to bring the project to its current state of readiness. They have kept me fully involved in the preparations for the proposal as it has developed, for which I am also very grateful. They were ably supported by members of the NHS trust board and all the staff groups at the hospital--the consultants, the junior doctors, the nurses and the ancillary staff, all of whom are united in their support for the proposal, which bodes well for the future.
Three key features distinguish the project. The first is that the West Middlesex's plans allow for redevelopment with no disruption to existing facilities--which is important for patients to know. Secondly, the project has the merit of delivering improved health care services more efficiently. Thirdly, the proposal's flexibility will permit the hospital to alter its operations according to changing demand. I hope that, as a result of those factors, the Minister will be able to give an assurance that all necessary support will be given to help that vital redevelopment programme to proceed as contracts are drawn up and commitments obtained over the next few months.
A few statistics will help to demonstrate the ever-growing need for the high-level care that the West Middlesex University hospital provides. In 1995-96, the hospital provided care for more than 60,000 accident and emergency attendances, resulting in nearly 15,000 admissions. The accident and emergency unit is one of
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Last year, West Middlesex University hospital cared for more than 124,000 out-patients, as well as 16,000 planned admissions. It has also been caring for the future of the community, delivering more than 2,000 babies--an average of five babies a day. Not only has it delivered the babies, but it has provided what have been recognised as some of the best maternity services in the country. In addition, mental health services, renal dialysis and endoscopy services are all part of the health care provisions on site. In short, the West Middlesex is wholly capable of providing the high-quality health care that is so desperately needed and greatly valued by the community that it serves.
The existing buildings reflect their 19th century origin. All the patient care is provided by a dedicated staff from many dilapidated and outdated buildings, sprawled across a 20-acre site. Originally built for a workhouse and infirmary, many of the buildings are in poor physical condition and are no longer suitable for the provision of acute care to modern standards. The fact that such care is provided from those outdated Victorian buildings speaks volumes for the staff.
There is a backlog of £28 million-worth of maintenance work, which is needed simply to bring the fabric of the building up to modern standards. It would be far better to spend the money on a new hospital, rather than trying to patch up old, out-of-date buildings.
One example of the inconvenience arising from the situation at the most basic level of patient care is that, because of the site layout, critically ill patients requiring admission frequently spend 15 minutes or more in electric ambulances while being transferred to wards, operating theatres or intensive care units. Excellent care is provided by dedicated staff, but everyone could do without such inconveniences.
The Minister knows that plans are well under way for the hospital site to be redeveloped, with modern facilities of exactly the kind that the community needs. Once approval has been given, there is every possibility that a new hospital can be up and running, serving the people of my constituency and those of my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham and the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston as early as 1999 or 2000.
Approval of the project would provide the community with a new purpose-built hospital. The benefits would be seen in improved patient care, better value for taxpayers' money, much needed increased accident and emergency capacity, improved facilities for coronary and high-dependency care and wards designed to offer high-quality, single-sex accommodation--an issue that has been in the press recently. In short, it would be a flagship national health hospital for the 21st century, with the flexibility needed for expansion.
The West Middlesex University Hospital NHS trust has already shown its foresight and effectiveness by putting into operation privately financed projects that have led to improved patient services. Last September, for example, the West Middlesex announced a ground-breaking arrangement for the provision of hospital pathology
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Both projects are ideal models of the way in which the private sector can deliver high-quality services in the public sector, an initiative that has been spearheaded by the Government and is now generally endorsed as the way to the future. Latterly, the idea has even been taken up by some Labour Members.
I note with some concern, however, that my Labour opponent in Brentford and Isleworth still cannot bring herself to support the scheme. She says that she wants a new hospital, but that she is not sure about the private finance initiative. That is an example of her usual fence-sitting; she has nothing to say and no policies, just smiles for the cameras with Tony. If she is waiting for her Labour shadow Chancellor to pay for the development, she and the voters of Brentford and Isleworth will wait for a very long time.
The shadow Chancellor has now accepted the Government's Budget plans, so no more money will be forthcoming. I suggest that my Labour opponent comes off the fence and supports the West Middlesex, its management and staff, all of whom want the private finance initiative project to go ahead. If she found time to visit the West Middlesex University hospital, she could hear that opinion from everyone involved. I do not mean that she should just pop into the hospital to see her Hospital Alert cronies. She could meet the management of the hospital, see the plans for herself and talk to staff groups, none of which she has done so far.
Based on all its experience, the West Middlesex University hospital is extremely confident of its ability to bring about the many benefits that the proposed redevelopment promises. While hands-on patient care will remain exclusively with the national health doctors, nurses and therapists, the consortium will be able to tender for the management and non-clinical functions on site, subject to the normal rules on market testing.
Surplus land will be sold for the development of 350 new homes and all the proceeds will be used to defray the costs of building the new hospital. The West Middlesex University Hospital NHS trust has now completed a careful review of the options for taking the redevelopment forward and it is confident that the £50 million privately financed option will provide significantly greater benefits than those associated with the £11 million Treasury-funded proposal for a partial refit, which was on offer 18 months ago.
It is also agreed that the PFI proposal is considerably better than the only other option, which is to do nothing. Even the do-nothing approach would require considerable expenditure on a backlog of maintenance, just to deliver health care in a safe and acceptable environment. At this point, it is worth stating the obvious; the hospital must develop to survive. It will not be possible for the high standards of care, which everyone rightly expects, to continue in the long term under the present arrangements. Action must be taken if local health care demands are to be met and if services are to improve.
I was grateful to receive in December, as a result of my previous lobbying, a letter from the Minister in which he noted his understanding of the urgency of the situation
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That the draft Industrial Training Levy (Construction Board) Order 1997, which was laid before this House on 14th January, be approved.
Question agreed to.
That the draft Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Board) Order 1997, which was laid before this House on 14th January, be approved.--[Mr. Peter Ainsworth.]
10.16 pm
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