House of Commons
Tuesday 1 July 2003
The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock
PRAYERS
[Mr. Speaker in the Chair]
PRIVATE BUSINESS
Mersey Tunnels Bill (By Order)
Order for further consideration, as amended, read.
To be further considered on Tuesday 8 July.
Oral Answers to Questions
HEALTH
The Secretary of State was asked—
Kidderminster Hospital
1. Dr. Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest): If he will make a visit to inspect the new diagnostic and treatment centre at Kidderminster hospital when it is completed next year. [122416]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman): Phase 1 of the Kidderminster diagnostic and treatment centre will open in December 2003 and it is scheduled to be fully operational by April 2004. I can certainly promise to visit the centre, because I want to thank the delivery team for the excellent work that it is doing on this important project.
Dr. Taylor : May I thank the Minister for his reply and welcome him to his seat, as well as the whole team for their first session of Health questions?
Given the threat to hospitals throughout the country from the European working time directive and the struggle that hospital staff now have to maintain continuity of care, will the Minister ensure that the diagnostic and treatment centre at Kidderminster, which, like others, is distant from the acute general hospital that serves it, can provide medical cover through a reasonable selection of intermediate elective surgery to meet the needs of the local community and tackle waiting list problems in the wider area?
Dr. Ladyman: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for welcoming me to the Dispatch Box.
Yes, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we shall take a keen interest in the way in which that particular diagnostic centre works. We shall take on board the issues that he raises about the challenges posed by the
working time directive. I think that he can be reasonably confident that the centre will be very popular locally. Past experience suggests a 98 per cent. rate of satisfaction with such centres, and I have no reason to believe that his centre will be any less successful.
Mr. Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne, Central): I welcome the Minister to his duties.
Will the diagnostic and treatment centre at Kidderminster have a system for ensuring that the profits of the operator are returned to the NHS and shared with it, and that there will be a cap on the number of private patients that it takes? Will that be the practice generally for all other diagnostic and treatment centres?
Dr. Ladyman: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his welcome.
The Kidderminster diagnostic centre is an NHS centre, so the issues that my hon. Friend raised will not be of concern there. On the general issue that he raised, I shall certainly reflect on his comments. If he wishes to talk to me about his concerns, I shall be happy to discuss them with him.
Mr. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire): May I, too, welcome the Minister to the Dispatch Box?
Will the Minister reflect carefully on the wise words of the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor)? The previous Secretary of State for Health told me that there was a capacity problem in the Worcestershire health economy. That is certainly the case, and it means long waiting lists and lots of problems for patients. The centre at Kidderminster is a very important part of the solution to that problem and I hope that he will reflect carefully on what the hon. Gentleman said.
Dr. Ladyman: The hon. Gentleman is right; the diagnostic centre will be a very important part of building that capacity and getting waiting lists down. I welcome the interest that he has taken in this matter and in the general issues of the local health economy. However, if we are to tackle the issues that he raises, we must do so by getting investment into the national health service, and not cutting it.
Mr. Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): May I add my congratulations to the Minister?
Will the Government use a standard tariff for treatments carried out at centres such as Kidderminster and other centres around the country, or will privately run centres be able to charge the NHS more for the same procedures?
Dr. Ladyman: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his welcome.
I am afraid that I have to admit that I have no idea about that matter, but I shall look at it very carefully in the coming days, and I shall certainly respond to the hon. Gentleman. What I can tell him is that the Kidderminster centre is being set up with the full co-operation of the local primary care trust and strategic health authority. We expect it to have a strong impact on local waiting times and we have no reason to believe that in the fullness of time it will not prove to be an extremely successful operation.
Primary Care Trusts (Funding)
2. Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire): What assessment he has undertaken of the funding of different primary care trusts in relation to funding targets. [122417]
The Secretary of State for Health (Dr. John Reid): We consider our allocations policy for each round of allocations in the light of all the circumstances at the time. Allocations for the period 2003–06 were announced last December and took account of the position of all primary care trusts in relation to their target share. The allocations made were the biggest three-year increases to go into the national health service in its history.
Andrew Selous: Why do the Government persistently fund some PCTs at way below their own national formula for determining the health needs of an area, while funding others consistently above it? In my area, the Bedfordshire PCTs are £22 million below the Government's formula target, yet two PCTs in the same health authority are funded at £25 million above that target. When will the Government bring about a fair allocation of health resources?
Dr. Reid: First, I welcome any support from Conservative MPs for the idea of targets, as they are not always so supportive of them. Secondly, the hon. Gentleman will remember that we have to strike a balance between the amounts that we spread across all the PCTs, given the infinite demand for them and the limited resources. Thirdly, those resources are vastly increased over anything that the Conservative party, or anyone else, ever put in.
Mr. Simon Burns (West Chelmsford): And Bedfordshire?
Dr. Reid: I am going to answer the question specifically in relation to Bedfordshire. [Interruption.] I am glad that Conservative Members are so keen to get the answer, because it is as follows: Bedford PCT's allocation will increase by no less than 32 per cent.; Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT's allocation will increase by 31.7 per cent.; and Luton PCT's allocation will increase by 32.74 per cent. Those are staggering increases. The truth of the matter is that by comparison with the 30 per cent. increases under this Government, Conservative Members would take 20 per cent. away.
Mr. Eric Illsley (Barnsley, Central): Is my right hon. Friend aware that my local PCT, Barnsley, which is one of the biggest in the country, is moving further away from its target funding because of the deficit that exists and is about £6 million behind its budget position? Given that Barnsley is one of the areas of greatest need, yet one of those with the lowest funding, will he look again at that situation?
Dr. Reid: I am always prepared to look particularly at areas of need, because that is one of the elements that form the criteria by which we allocate money, so I shall do so. However, I think that my hon. Friend would be the first to admit that, both historically and in terms of
what any of our international competitors are doing, the amount of investment that is going into the national health service is unprecedented—£45 billion for 2003–04, £49.3 billion for 2004–05 and £53.9 billion for 2005–06. Those are staggering amounts of money. Even in my first couple of weeks in the job, I have been absolutely staggered by the amount of investment. I can tell my hon. Friend that the three-year announcements on 11 December represented the biggest ever investment handout by the state in this country since the dissolution of the monasteries.
Dr. Reid: The dissolution of the monasteries was an early version of invest and reform. The investment is staggering in its historical context.
Mr. Richard Bacon (South Norfolk): I am delighted to hear the Secretary of State say that he is prepared to look at specific areas of need. While he is considering the funding requirements of different primary care trusts, will he look specifically at the retinal laser treatment known as photodynamic therapy? Two of my constituents, a Mrs. Scott and a Mrs. Brooks, are expected by the brand new flagship Norfolk and Norwich University hospital to travel to Liverpool for that treatment, though they are elderly and find it difficult to see, because the local PCTs have not yet given their approval to have the treatment locally. Does he agree that it is unfair to expect elderly people to fund the costs of travelling so far, from Norwich to Liverpool, and will he look into it?
Dr. Reid: Obviously, I am not aware of the specific case that the hon. Gentleman raises, but yes, I will look into it.
Mr. Patrick Hall (Bedford): On distance from targets, my right hon. Friend knows that I was part of a delegation of all Bedfordshire and Luton Members of Parliament who recently met his predecessor. While we acknowledge the considerable increase, year on year, in resources for the national health service throughout the country, including Bedfordshire, we highlighted three issues at the meeting. First, Bedfordshire health services have been below target for 25 years or so—indeed, they are near the bottom of the national league table. Secondly, that has contributed to weakness over the years in building decent primary and community care services. Thirdly, although the Government acknowledge that there is a gap and that it needs to be closed, on current figures, the pace of change means that it will take almost 20 years. Does my right hon. Friend accept that the needs of my constituents and residents in Bedfordshire and Luton, and the challenge of the NHS plan to modernise and improve require the gap to be closed much more quickly?
Dr. Reid: I know that my hon. Friend is a stalwart fighter for his constituents. I would expect nothing other than that. Of course, we pay great attention to need, which exists not only in Bedfordshire but throughout the country, especially after two decades of starvation of investment in the NHS. However, the allocation policy must take account of several factors, including the
overall resources available and the priorities for their use. Although my hon. Friend finds Bedford's allocation unsatisfactory, it will increase by £34.7 million, or 32.1 per cent., in the next three years. As I said earlier, Bedfordshire Heartlands' allocation will be increased by 31.7 per cent., which is £52.1 million, over three years. Although my hon. Friend, like many others, does not find his allocation satisfactory, I believe that he would be the first to agree that, by historical and international standards, the increases are staggering in proportion and amount.
Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): I welcome the Secretary of State to his latest challenge. He has held down the post for two weeks, which is good going, and he has clearly already discovered his predecessor's collection of scratched old records at the bottom of his desk.
My hon. Friend the Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) asked how the relative funding problems in Bedfordshire have been affected by the Department's age-sex standardisation technique. Does the right hon. Gentleman have any plans to revise that formula?
Dr. Reid: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his over-generous welcome. I have been here only two weeks—
Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire): Too long.
Dr. Reid: As I look at the standard of the Opposition, I believe that I shall be here for much longer.
Of course, I shall continually review the criteria for allocating resources. Allocation is based on several criteria, including need, population and the start level of resources. I shall bear the hon. Gentleman's comments in mind.
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