Contributions
1,737 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMaternity ServicesThe figure for the number of midwives has been roughly constant over the last few years at about 23,000. We want to increase that, which is why we have made a commitment to…09 Feb 2023HANSARDMaternity ServicesThat question probably deserves a more detailed reply then I can give here in 30 seconds. In terms of the direction of travel, continuity of care, not just in the maternity…09 Feb 2023HANSARDMaternity ServicesI agree with the work by my noble friends, including the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, to put the importance of midwifery continuity of care at the centre of everything. The…09 Feb 2023HANSARDMaternity ServicesI welcome the noble Lord’s pursuit because that is absolutely the right thing to do. I think we all agree with that, and we would all say that what happened in East Kent and the…09 Feb 2023HANSARDMaternity ServicesMy Lords, we are committed to continuing our work to ensure that all maternity services provide safe and compassionate care. We will continue to closely monitor progress in…09 Feb 2023HANSARDHospitals: MaintenanceThe noble Lord makes an excellent point. As he knows, we are investing heavily in a federated data platform, which is precisely about stopping storing paper and making such…09 Feb 2023HANSARDHospitals: MaintenanceWe have eight cohort 1 hospitals, which all have full planning permission and are in various stages of construction. We have 10 cohort 2 hospitals, of which two have full planning…09 Feb 2023HANSARDHospitals: MaintenanceI can speak clearly on the subject of the new hospital programme, which I think the noble Lord will find is world-class. I will happily demonstrate that to him; indeed, people…09 Feb 2023HANSARDHospitals: MaintenanceYes. Now I am no longer holding anyone up in terms of time, I welcome noble Lords to visit places like Liverpool hospital and Chase Farm Hospital, where they will see brilliant…09 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEYes; as I say, the trials that we have seen so far definitely save money—the figure I have for the procurement savings is £180 million. A process of education also needs to…08 Feb 2023HANSARDNHS StrikesI totally agree with the noble Lord that constructive dialogue is the way forward, and language and actions are important as part of that. I am glad to say—and I thank the unions…08 Feb 2023HANSARDNHS StrikesI would not say that six or seven weeks is jam tomorrow; I would say that it is jam pretty soon. That gives us a basis to go forward. The noble Lord’s basic point of allowing the…08 Feb 2023HANSARDNHS StrikesClearly, we all want to resolve the dispute, and many meetings have been held with the unions to date. We believe in the independent pay review body; it is something we have…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEAbsolutely; wherever there is a savings case, I will be right on it. Also, it is about education and training for all our staff. As I mentioned before, a one-hour course can…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEAs I mentioned in answer to a previous question, when we started off, less than 1% of PPE was bought from the UK. We extended that, so that 4 billion items were bought by the end…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEThe whole agenda on this is close to my heart. I do not have that particular detail, but I know that with LED lighting, for instance, you save 25%, so if we put LED lighting…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEFirst off, we are committed to the 40 new hospitals, on which the House will be hearing more going forward. Some of those might not have planning permission because they are on…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEPPE waste is potentially hazardous, and recycling is challenging. However, the NHS is committed to sustainability and net zero across its operations and is working with UK…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEI can only speak personally here; I believe that the best businesspeople look to have long-term customer relationships. That means you have long-term, sustainable and fair prices,…08 Feb 2023HANSARDWashable PPEI thank the noble Lord for his question. I agree: the trials have shown that this is something we should be doing. It has shown big savings —about £180 million a year in…08 Feb 2023