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NHS Racism

8. Mr. Parmjit Dhanda (Gloucester) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the findings of Sir John Blofeld's report into racism in the NHS. [177292]

The Secretary of State for Health (Dr. John Reid): Our formal response to the Blofeld report into the death of David Bennett will be published in July this year as an integral part of our action plan to deliver race equality in mental health services. While the detail of our response must therefore wait, I want to make it clear that racism and discrimination will not be tolerated in the national health service. Our commitment to change will be through action, not complacent words. These are real issues for people from black and ethnic minority communities, and they will be addressed.

Mr. Dhanda: I thank my right hon. Friend for his reply. I am sure that he will welcome the remarks made by Sir John Blofeld during his inquiry into the death of David Bennett. One of his findings was that black men are six times more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 than white men. Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Sir Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the NHS, on his decision to appoint a director in the NHS with responsibility for ensuring equality for staff and patients alike? Does he share my concern about comments by the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) that such an appointment would be a waste of money?

Dr. Reid: Yes, I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Sir Nigel Crisp, who is not only permanent secretary to my Department but chief executive of the national health service, on the robust leadership that he has
 
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shown, particularly on this question. This week of all weeks, when we are remembering D-day and the liberation of the European continent from the worst and most poisonous racist regime, we should remember the contribution made to the NHS by people from black, ethnic and coloured backgrounds. I must correct myself, because earlier I said that there were 14,000 extra doctors since we came to power. I apologise for my mistake, as the figure is 19,000, and many of those doctors are from black and ethnic backgrounds. It is very disappointing indeed that the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) should attack the appointment of a national director on equality and human rights. On the issue of tackling racism, the Conservative party is at best confused and at worst open to the accusation of complacency.

Anne Picking (East Lothian) (Lab): I welcome my right hon. Friend's comments about tackling racism in the health service. We have not tackled it well enough and it is still prevalent. My particular concern is how staff are treated by patients. By virtue of being ill, patients are almost excused for being racist. That is not acceptable and should not be tolerated.

Dr. Reid: I agree with every word that my hon. Friend said. I know that over many years, before she came into Parliament and afterwards, she has been involved in fighting to make sure that we have public services free of racism, institutional or otherwise. Those on the Opposition Front Bench may have been perturbed by my remarks, but I made them in all sincerity. When we appointed a national director for equality and human rights, the words that were used by the Opposition Front-Bench spokesman were that that appointment was "a misuse of resources". It is no good using fine words about combating racism and being committed to equality, and willing the ends but not being prepared to put in the means. If the Opposition will the ends publicly and say that they are committed to them, but then attack the means of tackling the problem, they will be criticised.

Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow) (Lab): Does the Secretary of State recognise—I do not doubt that he does—that the Blofeld committee report has wide implications? Will there be a programme of action, and along what lines will action be taken?

Dr. Reid: Yes, indeed. I made it plain that this would not be a matter of words for us. There is a robust programme of action across the national health service led by the chief executive of the NHS and the permanent secretary at the Department of Health under my political leadership. It will include a new national director for equality and human rights. A practical programme of action has been outlined already and will be carried through.

In answer to my hon. Friend's first question, I have met many people who find themselves in extremely difficult circumstances as a result of the loss of a loved one. In the case of the Bennett inquiry, I met the family and the solicitor representing the family, and I found their sincerity, their profundity on the issue and their contribution to what we are trying to achieve to be first rate. I hope we will continue to work with the family, as well as with others.
 
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Cancer Screening

9. Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham) (LD): If he will make a statement on the cancers for which he proposes to introduce NHS screening programmes. [177293]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Miss Melanie Johnson): We are committed to introducing new screening programmes where it is clear that they will save lives. We will introduce a national bowel cancer screening programme which is currently under development, and a prostate cancer screening programme if and when screening and treatment techniques are sufficiently developed.

Dr. Cable: I welcome the expansion of screening programmes, but can the Minister be a little more precise about nationwide screening in respect of bowel cancer, which kills 17,000 people a year? When does she expect to be able to roll out a nationwide screening programme, and when do the Government expect that sufficient staff will be trained in endoscopy to enable such a programme to be fully effective?

Miss Johnson: We have run the first phase of a screening trial based in Nottinghamshire and we are reviewing the results. We are in the second phase of that trial, and as part of it we need to consider aspects such as hard-to-reach groups. We anticipate having some results by 2006–07. In the meantime we are making £9 million available over three years to train more GPs, nurses, surgeons and gastroenterologists to meet the rising demand for endoscopy—that is a key issue—and we have established three national and seven regional centres to train medical staff in endoscopy.

Mrs. Anne Campbell (Cambridge) (Lab): I, too, welcome the expansion of the screening programmes, but does my hon. Friend agree that there is still a problem at the GP level, as GPs have difficulty in deciding whether patients require routine or urgent referrals, particularly in some of the rarer cancers? Will she ensure that better guidance is given to GPs about these matters?

Miss Johnson: I agree with my hon. Friend that that distinction is important. Some 99 per cent. of patients with suspected cancer are urgently referred to specialists and seen within a fortnight, and premature deaths from cancer have fallen by 10 per cent. since 1995–97. I agree with my hon. Friend that we must continue to work with GPs and the royal colleges on improving awareness, particularly of those cancers on which it is more difficult for GPs to decide whether to make an urgent referral.

Mr. Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) (Con): The Minister will also be aware of success in screening for aortic aneurisms—a pilot scheme is currently being run in west Sussex, and it saves hundreds of lives. When will she announce her decision whether to expand that pilot scheme nation wide?

Miss Johnson: In due course.
 
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Hip Replacements

10. Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) (Lab): What the latest estimate is of the cost of a hip replacement paid for by Merton and Sutton primary care trust in (a) the South West London Elective Orthopaedic centre and (b) the private sector. [177294]

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr. John Hutton): The latest national figures indicate that the average cost incurred by the NHS in conducting a primary hip replacement operation is £4,660, and that the average cost outside the NHS is £6,848. South West London Elective Orthopaedic centre forms part of the Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where a primary hip replacement cost £5,865 last year.

Siobhain McDonagh: I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. He knows that the South West London Elective Orthopaedic centre is the largest orthopaedic centre in Europe, that the Queen opened it only three months ago and that it has the capacity to conduct 3,150 hip and knee replacements this year. Will he do everything he can to ensure that it is used to full capacity to benefit people in south-west London, and in my constituency, Mitcham and Morden, in particular?

Mr. Hutton: I can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. The centre currently runs with 65 per cent. occupancy, and that figure is expected to rise to 85 per cent. during the course of this year, which is a sensible way in which to build up capacity. I agree with my hon. Friend that the centre is an important new asset for the NHS, and I was present when Her Majesty the Queen opened it. It is a brilliant investment, and I am sure that it will help further to reduce waiting times for patients in my hon. Friend's constituency. Unlike the proposals from Conservative Front Benchers, the service provided by the centre is available to all NHS patients, none of whom needs to make a top-up payment or an additional payment—

Mr. Speaker: Order. I call Paul Marsden to ask Question 11.

Hon. Members: Where is he?

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