Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Health and Wellbeing Services: Essex

12 March 2024 · 4 other contributors · 11,651 words

Opened by Priti Patel Con Witham

Responding minister: Andrew Stephenson

Social CareNHSEnvironment

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Priti Patel raised concerns about health and wellbeing services: essex in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Essex is facing increased demand for social care due to a growing elderly population.
  • Concerns over the proposed closure of St Peter's Hospital and relocation of services have been raised.
  • The MP asks for more funding for primary care and expansion of pharmacy services.

Key requests to Government

The lead MP asks the Government to review and secure necessary funding for primary care services, especially in high-demand areas like Tiptree and Witham. She also urges the Department to empower local pharmacies to expand their service offerings and to support further training at Anglia Ruskin University. Additionally, she requests that the Minister address the growing demand for social care services and enhance workforce planning to include more international healthcare workers.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Priti Patel Con Witham

Essex is experiencing significant demographic changes with a growing elderly population, leading to increased demand on social care services. The proposed closure of St Peter's Hospital and the relocation of its services are causing substantial concern among residents. There is also a pressing need for more GP appointments and primary healthcare facilities in Witham due to rapid housing growth. Other issues include insufficient developer contributions towards health infrastructure, and long-standing problems with dental access rates for children.

Other contributors (4)
  • Abena Oppong-Asare Lab Erith and Thamesmead

    Expressed concern about the shortage of GPs in Essex, highlighting a loss of 1,830 full-time, fully qualified GPs since 2015. Raised issues with waiting times for medical care at three Essex hospitals and noted that elective waiting lists have risen sharply, being 113% higher in the east of England compared to January 2020. Urged the Government to respond on the progress of implementing the Ockenden report's actions for maternity services and expressed disappointment with delays in arranging meetings for the Lampard inquiry regarding mental health provision.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the debate and notes similar healthcare issues in his constituency, including closure of minor injuries unit leading to longer travel for constituents. Suggests health bodies should focus more on community health and wellbeing.

  • John Whittingdale Con Maldon

    Mr Whittingdale highlighted the chronic underfunding of healthcare services in Essex, noting that funding per head has consistently been below what is needed. He mentioned a 3,000-house development putting pressure on health services and the deteriorating state of St Peter's Hospital, which faces closure unless funds are allocated for replacement or refurbishment. Whittingdale also discussed GP practices operating beyond capacity in Maldon and called for better infrastructure investment to match housing developments. He expressed appreciation for Essex County Council's leadership efforts but stressed that urgent action is needed from the Government.

  • Will Quince Con Colchester

    Mr Quince reflected on the NHS's challenges, including workforce and funding issues. He thanked NHS staff for their work in Essex and praised local integrated care systems for innovative initiatives like the elective orthopaedic centre at Colchester Hospital and mental health joint response vehicle.

Government Response

Andrew Stephenson

I congratulate the Member for Witham on securing the debate and acknowledge the important contributions of local MPs in supporting their constituencies. The Minister highlights the NHS workforce plan aimed at reducing staff turnover by improving culture and leadership, committing to double medical school places to 15,000 by 2031-32. He notes an increase in doctors and nurses: Essex has seen a rise of almost 740 doctors and nearly 1,700 nurses since last year. The Minister also addresses challenges faced by Witham's health hub proposal, stressing the importance of local engagement and consultation for decision-making regarding St Peter's Hospital. He assures that any reorganisation would improve patient outcomes, reflecting on his own constituency experience where services were removed under a previous Labour government. Urging continued engagement in NHS consultations, he reports improved A&E performance with 67.3% seen within four hours at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Regarding dentistry, the Government plans to fund around 2.5 million additional appointments backed by £200 million. For community pharmacy, investment of up to £645 million is set for Pharmacy First, enabling more blood pressure checks and contraception consultations in pharmacies. On the Lampard inquiry into midwifery deaths, the Minister updates on progress towards finalising terms of reference and arranging a meeting with families by 6 March. He reiterates the Government's commitment to levelling-up health inequalities through programmes like Core20PLUS5 and aims to increase healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035.

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