Future of Health and Care

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Given your aim to strengthen local decision-making in health and care, how will you ensure that decisions are not taken by a national government with little knowledge of local needs?

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Will the Secretary of State use his new powers to intervene in reconfiguration decisions, such as at North Manchester General Hospital?

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The MP questioned the timing of the reorganisation during a severe public health crisis, raising concerns about staff morale, wasted opportunities from previous reforms, financial accountability, governance structures, and lack of long-term plans for workforce, inequalities, and social care. He also asked how the new powers would improve patient care and narrow health inequalities.

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The MP welcomed the reorganisation but questioned how public knowledge of care quality, waiting list management, and overall performance can be ensured. He suggested that Ofsted ratings for ICSs could provide clarity.

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Health and social care staff always do their best for their patients and residents, regardless of legislative systems. She welcomes the Government’s recognition of the damage caused to the NHS in England by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and the proposal to reverse some of its most obstructive aspects. Which model of integrated care is proposed? Will he merge organisations or create new public NHS bodies? What additional funding is committed for this reorganisation?

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When I was in the Army, I received care from both the NHS and private practitioners. Many people ask if the Government intends to privatise the NHS. How much of the NHS is privatised as a percentage? Are plans to increase it?

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Supporting a review that makes NHS the best healthcare centre in the world. Why rush these reforms? Why not consult more across party lines and listen to those who work in or benefit from it?

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Supporting the drive for innovation and technology in healthcare. Could he look at making sites such as Burnley Hospital regional centres of excellence in areas like surgical robotics?

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Involvement with the Greater Manchester model of health and social care. Will he guarantee that there will be nothing that prevents the successful model already being pioneered in Greater Manchester?

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Frontline health and social care providers have shown flexibility, innovation, and collaboration. Will he assure that unlike Nye Bevan, he does not want to hear the sound of dropped bedpans in his office?

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The pandemic has highlighted health inequalities and the need for public health improvement functions. Why are there no clear arrangements for these vital elements in today's announcement?

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How does the White Paper address parity of esteem between mental and physical health as committed in the Health and Social Care Act 2012?

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How will the White Paper ensure cancer patients receive necessary scans and treatment during the pandemic?

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Will the White Paper address inequalities through prevention measures as outlined in the previous Green Paper?

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Why is there another NHS reform announcement without concrete social care reforms despite past failures?

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Can we have more pilot schemes to support the Isle of Wight's unique healthcare challenges?

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How will these plans address cancer backlogs in Halton and promote local accountability?

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How will public health measures address obesity without increasing inequality?

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A decade ago the Minister and his Conservative colleagues pushed through the Lansley reforms, even though NHS staff warned us that they would lead to fragmentation and waste. Why should we trust him now, given that he and his party got it so wrong then? How will he gain the trust and confidence of all NHS workers for his plans, and for the timing of these reforms?

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Covid has changed the way we live and work. We have all had to adapt, and our NHS has been forced to find better ways of working. Can my right hon. Friend reassure me that our NHS will learn from our covid days, adopt some of the new measures in place and improve its performance over the coming years, while delivering on our commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses and build 40 new hospitals?

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A year and a half ago, we halted the dangerous back-door privatisation of key services in Bradford’s hospitals while Ministers sat on their hands and ignored the outcry of NHS staff and local people. The proposals in the press confirm what I and many others have long said about the disaster and waste of privatisation in our NHS—[Inaudible.]

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Can my right hon. Friend assure my constituents that bringing health and social care much closer together will help to provide a more efficient, higher-quality service? Can he specifically outline how an integrated care model may help to reduce demand for emergency services in Lincolnshire?

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Having been in Parliament in 2010, I voted against the Tory-Lib Dem coalition’s flawed reorganisation, the failure of which has led us to today’s announcement. As well as sharing concerns about having another reorganisation during a pandemic, what guarantees can the Secretary of State give that these changes will improve the health of my constituents when, under his plans, Hull will be lumped into an artificial hotch-potch of the Humber Coast and Vale ICS: an area of 1,500 square miles with cities, market towns and remote rural and coastal communities, with little transparency and no clear lines of accountability to local people in Hull, with our stark health inequalities?

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The demands of the pandemic on Stockport Council, GP services and my constituency hospital, Stepping Hill, have shown the benefits of joint working and data sharing to improve care and health outcomes. We know that when bodies work together, people receive better care. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the proposals will deliver a more streamlined system that will give seamless care and healthier outcomes for my Cheadle residents?

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In my constituency of Bedford and Kempston, patients are being left in unimaginable pain as they struggle to access even emergency dental treatment. Dental practices are struggling to stay open with the impact of covid on their businesses, and those who have survived are struggling to cope with the backlog. Imposing targets is not working, so will the Secretary of State include oral health in his future plans and agree a sustainable funding solution with NHS dentists to end the crisis in oral healthcare?

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I welcome the proposals for more integration and collaboration between the NHS and social care. However, it is vital that these important reforms do not get in the way of investment in NHS capacity and the commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses. Will the Health Secretary assure the House that they will not and that the Government remain committed to the badly needed new urgent care centres at Stepping Hill Hospital and Tameside Hospital?

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Shamefully, the poorer people are, the younger they will die. That link between economic deprivation and health outcomes means that Barnsley is suffering one of the highest covid mortality rates in England. Health inequality is an incredibly complex problem, but it is avoidable. Does the Secretary of State agree that a key test of the reforms is whether they will tackle that injustice?

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A key element of the statement today is that it strengthens accountability to this House, which I very much welcome. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that this will mean that, as local Members of Parliament, we are better placed to represent our constituents in this place when it comes to communicating any concerns that they might have about unpopular local reorganisation of key services at their local hospital?

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Expresses concern that the introduction of integrated care systems might lead to private health insurance promotion using NHS patient data and seeks a cast-iron guarantee that this will not happen.

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Welcomes the statement's promises relating to obesity policy and asks for detailed timelines on associated legislation, particularly concerning a level playing field between British TV broadcasters and overseas online services.

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Critiques the timing of NHS reorganisation amidst high covid death rates and questions how the White Paper addresses socioeconomic inequalities, particularly in light of Professor Sir Michael Marmot’s recommendations.

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Asks how the aspirations of spreading financial burdens and enhancing choice in adult care fit into the plans described today, referencing a previous committee report.