Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS: Wasteful Spending

Tuesday 17 June 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mark Ferguson asked the Secretary of State about the NHS trust in Gateshead facing financial pressures due to the digital capital gap.
  • The Secretary of State expressed a willingness to address the issue of digital services and medical technology in the NHS to improve financial sustainability.
  • Lillian Jones inquired about the scrapping of the SNP's national care service plan in Scotland, which had cost 30 million and was seen as a significant setback for the NHS in Scotland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Ferguson Lab Gateshead Central and Whickham
NHS Science & Technology
Context

The MP is concerned about the financial pressures faced by local NHS trusts, particularly regarding digital capital gaps that affect remote access to services.

Question

From speaking to my local NHS trust in Gateshead, I know the value it places on driving costs down, but it still faces financial pressures. Key among those are issues related to the digital capital gap. We are really keen in Gateshead to improve that situation and to allow more people to access the NHS remotely. Will the Secretary of State meet me and Gateshead NHS trust to talk about how we can tackle that?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)

I would be delighted to do so. My hon. Friend is absolutely right: we have to ensure that the NHS is not only benefiting from, but at the forefront of the revolution taking place in digital services and medical technology. It is key to driving productivity and financial sustainability. That is why, at the spending review, the Chancellor announced that we would invest up to £10 billion in NHS technology and digital transformation; unlike our predecessors, we will not raid tech budgets to plug shortfalls in day-to-day spending. Just this month, we announced the modernisation of the NHS app, so that patients can receive test results and book appointments, saving £200 million in stamps, envelopes and letters.

Answered
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Q2 Lillian Jones Lab Kilmarnock and Loudoun
NHS Scotland
Context

The MP criticizes the SNP's handling of social care reform in Scotland, highlighting the lack of efficiency and transparency regarding public funds.

Question

I thank the Secretary of State for his earlier reply. In Scotland, there are more quangos than MSPs. After four years and £30 million of taxpayers’ cash down the drain, the SNP has scrapped its plans for a national care service—its flagship policy—which was seen as a significant setback for Scottish social care reform, and now we have people going to the pub in chauffeur-driven ministerial cars. Will the Secretary of State advise his Scottish counterpart on how to stop wasting Scottish taxpayers’ money?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)

Given the state of the NHS in Scotland, I suspect my counterpart needed to go and drown his sorrows. The truth is that the longer the SNP is in government, the longer the NHS in Scotland is on the road to nowhere. The SNP is now on its fifth health plan in four years. Thanks to the decisions taken by the Chancellor, it is not just the NHS in England that is receiving record investment, but the Scottish Government. I have used that investment to cut waiting lists by almost a quarter of a million people; the same could be true in Scotland, if the Scottish people boot out the SNP and elect Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie to deliver the change that Scotland’s NHS needs.

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not provide specific advice on reducing wasteful spending but instead criticized the SNP's performance in Scotland.

How: Criticizing Opposition

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