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Mark Pritchard: The Minister has been very generous in giving way. She will be glad to know that this is the last time that I shall seek to intervene.
We are still waiting for the strategic health authority to sign off the mental health plan for the whole of Shropshire, so I hope that she will encourage it to do so, as the plan is desperately needed by mental health patients in my constituency. Finally, will she comment on the proposal by the hospital trust to cut up to 300 jobs, including doctors and nurses? Would that protect front-line patient care, as she mentioned a few moments ago?
Ms Winterton: We have made it clear that it is important for local trusts and local health economies to deal with the financial problems that have built up. Of course, it is regrettable when any redundancy has to occur, but it is important for staff that their local trusts get back on to a stable footing. What is worse for patients and staff is when deficits are allowed to continue without a proper grip being taken of them.
Any proposed significant change will be subject to 12 weeks' public consultation. Strategic health authorities are coming forward where deep-seated problems are found and considering the time scale of the deficits, and they will come back to the Department if it is felt that a longer repayment period is needed. Those detailed plans will be produced shortly.
A turnaround team has gone into the constituency of the hon. Member for The Wrekin and is currently agreeing a tailored package of help with the trust and the SHA. It is important that we have those teams in areas, working with local people and considering how to sort out the problems, while ensuring—I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be interested in this—that the trust delivers both its key targets and financial balance. Getting those two things right is essential.
I must reassure the hon. Gentleman that this approach is not about denial or complacency—quite the opposite: it is about saying that those problems have existed for some years, but it is important that we sort them out. It would be complacent if we were not to sort them out. Local people and staff would not appreciate it if they felt that we were not working with the local health staff and health economies in ensuring that we were
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proposing packages that got the trusts back into financial balance, while ensuring that they continue to meet their key targets.
In conclusion, enormous improvements have been made in the health services in the hon. Gentleman's constituency. Investment has been increased, but challenges lie ahead. I re-emphasise that a programme
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has been put in place to achieve those aims. That is the right approach for local people, for patients and for the hard-working and committed NHS staff in his constituency.
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