Topical Questions

Question

After years of watching dentists in Cumbria turn their backs on the NHS contract and move those patients who can afford it to private plans, my constituency is now an NHS dental desert. Can the Minister confirm when the Government will publish their response to the consultation on quality and payment reforms, and tell us what we can expect to see in it?

Question

Moya Cole, in Heald Green, is a shining example of a hospice that does fantastic work in a very tough economic situation, but it should not have to rely on coffee mornings and jumble sales to fund its most essential services. Liberal Democrat research findings show that almost a half of hospices in the United Kingdom are planning cuts this year. Will the Government commit themselves to funding our hospices properly in the upcoming Budget so that they do not need to cut the vital services that they provide?

Question

After a decade of under-investment in our NHS under the Conservatives, I welcome the progress that has been made on reducing A&E waiting times under this Government, but there is no immediate fix. Just last month, a coffee shop at the William Harvey hospital in Ashford was converted into an emergency ward to treat A&E patients. Will the Secretary of State visit the hospital to see the continuing problems with corridor care, and will he update the House on what the Government are doing to ensure that the hospital can manage winter pressures and maintain safe, high-quality care?

Question

The Arthur Rank hospice in Cambridgeshire is losing £829,000 in NHS funding, which is forcing the closure of nine beds—40% of its capacity. Does the Minister believe that dying patients are cared for better in overstretched hospital wards than in specialist hospices, and will he please not fob me off with talk of capital investment? This is about operational costs.

Question

I welcome the changes in the GP booking system, but in many cases it is still very difficult to obtain a GP appointment on the Isle of Wight. A large factor in that is the difficulty of recruiting GPs to the island. Will the Minister assure me that he will investigate all options for improving GP recruitment to coastal, rural and island communities, like mine?

Question

As you may be aware, Mr Speaker, Reform-led Lancashire county council has opened a consultation on the future of care homes across Lancashire, including the proposal to close Woodlands care home in my constituency of Hyndburn. Will the Minister join me in urging Lancashire county council not to take forward these proposals, to protect much-valued local services, and to keep care close to the community and to the amazing staff who support our residents in Woodlands care home?

Question

In my constituency of Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, I recently ran a survey, which had a whopping 99% response rate, in support of an urgent treatment centre in my constituency. Would the Minister agree to meet me to discuss urgent treatment provision in my constituency?

Question

Jules Fielder is a young woman from Hastings who has tragically been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer after doctors repeatedly missed the early symptoms. Jules is now channelling her personal tragedy into action and campaigning to raise awareness of early symptoms, and she wants shops like Boots and Superdrug to use their shelf space to raise awareness. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to Jules’s amazing campaigning work?

Question

I welcome the approval of plans for a new dental school at the University of East Anglia. What arrangements and incentives will the Minister put in place to keep dental graduates in the most poorly served areas, such as my constituency of Waveney Valley?