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NHS Update
21 July 2021
Lead MP
Helen Whately
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSTaxationEmploymentMental Health
Other Contributors: 31
At a Glance
Helen Whately raised concerns about nhs update in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care, Helen Whately, apologised to the House for the late sight of her statement on NHS support. She paid tribute to Lord Stevens, former chief executive of the NHS, for his dedicated service during the pandemic. The minister outlined several initiatives the Government has undertaken to support the NHS, including the commitment to 50,000 additional nurses by March 2024 and the establishment of a new innovative medicines fund valued at £340 million, bringing total funding for fast-tracking promising drugs to £680 million. She reported that there are now over 1.2 million staff working in NHS trusts, an increase of over 45,300 compared with a year ago, including more than 4,000 additional doctors and nearly 9,000 more nurses. The minister also launched the new autism strategy to address inequalities faced by autistic individuals and announced that it is fully funded for its first year.
Tooting
Question
After the year we have had, there should not be so many unanswered questions. Is it fair on NHS staff who have had to bury their colleagues and families? Is it fair when they are sent like 'lambs to the slaughter' without appropriate personal protective equipment during the pandemic?
Tooting
Question
She declared her interest as a frontline A&E doctor and criticised the Government for not consulting unions adequately on the pay rise. She also pointed out increased work-related stress, mental health issues among NHS staff, and highlighted that a third of staff are considering leaving their job.
Minister reply
The minister apologised for late sight of the statement and acknowledged some of the language used but did not provide specific details about addressing NHS staff concerns beyond reiterating commitment to support healthcare workers.
Jeremy Hunt
Con
Godalming
Question
He echoed thanks to Lord Stevens for his contributions and raised concerns about tackling the backlog of patient care post-pandemic while ensuring safety and quality of care.
Minister reply
The minister agreed that it was important to focus on both reducing backlogs and maintaining high standards of patient safety, highlighting support for NHS staff during this period.
Question
He inquired about why the UK Government could not match Scotland’s commitments regarding NHS pay rises and social care staff wages.
Minister reply
The minister responded that pay is a devolved matter but noted they are reviewing recommendations from the pay review bodies for an announcement on pay for English NHS workers.
Question
He raised concerns about constituents’ vaccination data issues and potential impacts on future travel plans.
Minister reply
The minister welcomed the vaccinations and suggested that the vaccines Minister would address these specific data issues directly with the MP.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Question
She echoed praise for Lord Stevens, questioned the announced 1% pay rise as inadequate given NHS staff sacrifices during the pandemic.
Minister reply
The minister reiterated that they are reviewing recommendations from the pay review body and will make an announcement regarding pay in due course.
Question
He welcomed news about the autism strategy but raised concerns over missed diagnoses during lockdowns, seeking steps to provide more GP appointments.
Minister reply
The minister acknowledged the importance of increasing primary care access and highlighted increased remote working opportunities for GPs.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Minister for the statement and what she spoke about earlier. I want to ask about the NHS wage increase, which is on my mind... Does the Minister agree that 3% is enough, given their tireless and admirable efforts in tackling covid-19, and can she confirm that NHS staff will receive the wage increase and that it will be a priority for her and the Government?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is asking me to pre-empt the Government’s response to the recommendations of the pay review body and I am afraid that I am not able to do that at the Dispatch Box today. What I can say is that we are considering its recommendations and we will make an announcement on pay for NHS staff as soon as we can.
Question
I thank the Minister for her update and the announcement on the autism strategy, which is much welcomed... Can my hon. Friend confirm that her Department is engaging with the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to move this project forward as soon as possible, as it will benefit my Meon Valley constituents?
Minister reply
I join my hon. Friend in thanking NHS staff in the Meon Valley and also, as she says, the many volunteers in her area and across the country who have been so invaluable in their support during the vaccination roll-out... She asked about her new hospital in Hampshire. She will know that the Government are going full steam ahead with bringing forward new hospitals, and I will take up her specific question with my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for hospitals.
Meg Hillier
Lab Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
First, let me associate myself with the Minister’s comments about Lord Stevens and Dame Cheryl Gillan... Why have we not heard about the backlog, social care or NHS pay? The Minister has talked about recruiting more people. I could go to town on how many failed targets there have been, and we are still not sure whether the Government will meet this one.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady is absolutely right that retention is vital to us for maintaining the staff that we have in the NHS... For instance, to achieve our 50,000 more nurses for the NHS, there will be a combination of new domestic recruitment, staff training to become nurses, international recruitment, but also retaining the nurses that we have, which is a really important part of it. That is why we worked so hard during the pandemic to support NHS staff to stay with the NHS.
Question
On Monday, Sky News was among those who reported that frontline health workers in England are to be spared self-isolation rules in an emergency move to tackle the pingdemic that has triggered an NHS staffing crisis... What will my hon. Friend do to ensure that everyone is freed from this great curse of the pingdemic, which is keeping us from our recovery?
Minister reply
Isolation is an important part of our defence against the pandemic. We know that those who are contacts are around five times more likely to be infectious... The Prime Minister also said that we will make sure that crucial services will be able to continue to operate, even while recognising that many people are currently isolating; that that goes beyond health and social care; and that in mid-August we will introduce a new system.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
I spent 20 years working in the NHS, but I have never known the NHS to be under such extreme pressure... Will she now immediately enter into urgent cross-party talks on how we can rescue this disastrous mess before staff and patients bear further sacrifice.
Minister reply
I do not agree with the hon. Lady’s description of the situation... It has been important that we have put in place extra support and we will continue to make sure that there is extra support for staff. We will announce our decision on NHS pay in due course.
Question
I thank my hon. Friend for her statement... Will my hon. Friend confirm that her Department will also continue to work hard to improve the recruitment and retention that we will need to meet that crucial target?
Minister reply
I, too, thank the NHS and social care staff in my hon. Friend’s constituency and her local hospital for all that they are doing... We are absolutely going to continue with our strong domestic recruitment, in respect of which we are in a really good position because of the increased number of applications for nursing courses.
Warrington North
Question
I send solidarity to my fellow gingers in the Chamber and beyond who will no doubt be struggling with the heat today, as I am... Rather than clutching her pearls, will the Minister please turn her attention to delivering the much-trailed pay rise that she has failed to announce today—one that fairly reflects the contributions of NHS staff, redresses years of real-terms pay cuts, and addresses the number of NHS key workers who are still shamefully paid below the real living wage?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady has clearly been speaking to NHS staff in her constituency... Pay is of course on staff’s minds at the moment, but so is the importance of having full teams, so I am glad that we are making progress on increasing the number of staff in the NHS more broadly and the number of nurses specifically.
Question
The Minister will be aware that Redcar and Cleveland currently has the highest rate of covid in the country, but thankfully this is not leading to a huge increase in hospitalisations and deaths because we are also one of the most vaccinated parts of the country... What additional support can the Department give to Redcar and Cleveland to ensure that everyone is able to access the jab and protect themselves and our local NHS?
Minister reply
May I say how good it is to hear that my hon. Friend’s area has taken up the jab so strongly, so that so many people are having the protection of both doses of the vaccination... If my hon. Friend thinks that there is anything specific that we could do further in his constituency, I hope that he will let me or the Minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment know.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
Expresses dismay at the Minister’s statement, highlighting the exhaustion and mental health challenges faced by NHS staff due to prolonged work during the pandemic. Asks what steps are being taken to support them.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the pressure on NHS staff and mentions 40 mental health hubs being established for specific mental health support.
Selaine Saxby
Con
Tiverton and Honiton
Question
Welcomes Government commitment to NHS through biggest hospital building programme in a generation. Asks about progress on identifying 40 future hospitals, including North Devon District Hospital.
Minister reply
Confirms 48 new hospitals by 2030 and confirms the programme is on track but defers specifics of North Devon District Hospital to Hospitals Minister.
Barry Gardiner
Lab
Brent North
Question
Asks if pushing the Government's NHS pay review decision into recess reflects sacrifices made by staff during pandemic.
Minister reply
Confirms that recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body are being considered and an announcement will be made as soon as possible.
Andrew Gwynne
Ind
Denton and Reddish
Question
Raises concern about difficulty in getting GP appointments across Greater Manchester, questioning if this is a growing issue.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the issue and confirms efforts to increase primary care appointments.
Jonathan Gullis
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent North
Question
Thanks Minister for investment in Royal Stoke University Hospital but criticises Andy Burnham's PFI deal, suggesting freeing funds from debt would support frontline staff.
Minister reply
Agrees on focusing funding on building new hospitals and supporting workforce.
Alison McGovern
Lab
Wirral South
Question
Questions the Minister's statement on NHS pay review, expressing disappointment with vague response. Asks if social care plan will match Wirral Council’s priority of real living wage for social care workers.
Minister reply
Confirms commitment to bold reforms and bringing forward social care reform during the year.
Ben Spencer
Con
Runnymede and Weybridge
Question
Acknowledges that workforce is tired after 18 months of dealing with covid and expresses concern about handling backlog in winter.
Minister reply
Reassures on working closely to ensure sustainable transition from pandemic response to elective recovery.
Barbara Keeley
Lab
Worsley and Eccles South
Question
Questions Government’s new autism strategy, asking for commitment to funding to support those in inappropriate in-patient units moving into community care.
Minister reply
Confirms working on reducing number of in-patients through 'building the right support' programme.
Jason McCartney
Con
Colne Valley
Question
Asks why those who have been double jabbed cannot avoid isolation when pinged by Test and Trace app.
Minister reply
Explains that isolation is an important part of the defence against virus.
Jon Trickett
Lab
Normanton and Fishlake
Question
Asks Minister to reject Prime Minister’s philosophy of abandoning older people during pandemic.
Minister reply
Defends actions taken to protect vulnerable groups, including over £2 billion funding for social care.
Newton Abbot
Question
The pandemic has shown the vital need for effective collaboration across health and social care, and the need for individuals, such as nurses, to be able to work flexibly across both systems. What steps have the Government taken to ensure that parity of esteem is achieved across the health and social care workforce, in their training—preferably together—in their work opportunities and in their pay, which should be comparable?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an important point, and we have seen some really effective collaboration across health and social care during the pandemic. We want to continue to build on that. One of the things I am doing is working with Health Education England, which is launching a review looking ahead at how we can go further in bringing together our healthcare workforce and registered staff in the social care workforce.
Tony Lloyd
Lab
Worsley and Eccles South
Question
The Minister is quite rightly embarrassed because she can say nothing about NHS pay, but she should be equally embarrassed that she cannot answer the question about parity of esteem for care workers. Over 100,000 care worker vacancies exist in this country. What are the Government going to do to make sure not only that the care workers in post are not exhausted but that people who need care get the care workers that they need?
Minister reply
It is true that the social care sector does face a challenge and has faced a challenge in recruiting people. We are supporting the sector and we have supported the sector during the pandemic. As part of our work on social care reform, we are looking at the workforce to see, for instance, how we can make sure that social care is an attractive place to work, particularly for people coming into the workplace for the first time, and then provide career progression opportunities so that they stick with social care for a long time.
East Yorkshire
Question
Access to a GP is now very patchy. Some of my constituents have no difficulty in getting a face-to-face appointment; others find it almost impossible. We all accept that there are new ways of working and some GP appointments can be virtual, but that is not appropriate in all cases. Over the coming months, if not years, if access to appointments does not improve, we will see that tackling the backlog, and keeping pressure off A&E and our ambulance services, will only get worse. What steps can the Department of Health and Social Care take to support and encourage GPs to get back to operating as normal and get patients through the door?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the importance of people being able to access GPs and to get healthcare close to home. NHS England has been clear to GPs that they must ensure that they are offering face-to-face appointments as well as remote appointments. In general, practices are taking this approach, and we will continue to support GPs to provide that access over the months ahead.
Blackpool North and Cleveleys
Question
Last week, the Minister for Health, the hon. Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar), said in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) that “it is not the intention that ICBs”—integrated care boards—“depart from ‘Agenda for Change’. However, given that the Health and Care Bill will revoke the national tariff and places a clear emphasis on a move to tariffs varying by area and other factors, coupled with strict financial controls for ICBs, is it not inevitable that it will undermine ‘Agenda for Change’ and the pay and terms of conditions of over 1 million NHS workers in England?
Minister reply
No, I do not think that is the case.
Peter Bone
Con
Wellingborough
Question
Before any major change is made in the NHS, there is a full impact assessment done to see how it affects wider society. Would the Care Minister be able to say when last week, when the statutory instrument on compulsory vaccination of care staff was put before the House, she had the opportunity to read the SI, the explanatory notes and the full impact assessment? If there was no full impact assessment, why did the Government proceed in laying it before Parliament?
Minister reply
I was asked about this at the time and during the debate, and I did apologise for the fact that there was an error in the explanatory notes. We have since published an impact statement, and a full impact assessment is going through the formal approval process.
Shadow Comment
Rosena Allin-Khan
Shadow Comment
The Shadow Minister of State for Health, Rosena Allin-Khan, criticised the Government's contemptuous treatment of NHS staff. She noted that work-related stress among NHS staff has increased by nearly 10%, with mental health being the most reported reason for staff absence. The shadow minister highlighted the issues of post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression amongst frontline NHS workers and warned about a third of staff considering leaving their jobs due to insufficient pay rises and working conditions. She argued that fair pay is essential not just as a moral imperative but also for retaining staff in a health service grappling with a pandemic, long covid cases, hospitalisations, and backlogs.
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