Contributions
1,737 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateI thank the noble Baroness for reminding me that I failed to reply to that point earlier and for giving me the opportunity to do so, but I will need to investigate further. As I…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateI thank the noble Viscount for his good luck wishes. I do not understand completely the economics of the doctor’s surgery yet. I want to get my head around that, because I…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateI thank the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, for those excellent points. I have to declare a further interest: my wife is not only a dentist, she is a dentist originally from the…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateAs I mentioned earlier, yes, there are inflationary pressures, but as a percentage of our national wealth—our GDP—we are investing more than ever before, at around 12%. That level…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateWe live in a time of a very competitive jobs market and such a competitive market brings challenges with it, as the noble Lord says. We need to make sure that people feel that…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateAs I mentioned, we have 3,500 more doctors, but the 50 million more appointments target, which we are well on the way to delivering, is from not just GPs but across the piece. It…10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateI thank the noble Baroness for giving me that opportunity. I wish to be part of this House as someone who is open and collaborative, so I will take the opportunity and fulfil it…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesI think we are all aware of the importance of the vaccine programme, and I know that, to date, we are following the medical advice as to who the priority groups should be. If I…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesAs I am sure the noble Baroness is aware, we are investing an unprecedented amount of money into the NHS and have recruited more doctors and nurses. We are setting up 7,000 new…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesI thank the noble Baroness. If I may respond personally first, I am delighted, honoured and privileged to be taking on this role. I look forward to working with all noble Lords…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesI agree with those excellent points. As someone who is also responsible for the new hospital build programme, which can give that choice and make sure we have the most effective…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesThe noble Lord is correct that care is at the centre of all of this. The flow of patients through hospitals is vital, and we are all aware that 13% of all hospital beds are held…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesWe are facing unprecedented challenges, as the noble Lord states. We also have unprecedented investment, a plan for patients which is focused on the key elements that will make a…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesI had the pleasure of visiting Watford General just a week ago, and I saw the virtual wards first hand, so I agree on the excellence we saw there. To give the House a sense of…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesMy noble friend is correct that we have to make sure that the record investment is put to good use. We have 200,000 more people working in the health service than in 2010. It is…10 Oct 2022HANSARDNHS: Winter ChallengesI do not have the detail on the 12-hour wait-list at this moment, but I will come back to the noble Baroness with a detailed written response.10 Oct 2022HANSARDHealth and Social Care UpdateI thank the noble Lord, Lord Walney. Another part of my many and varied background is as a previous deputy leader of Westminster Council, so I realise the importance of local…10 Oct 2022