Contributions
959 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right: granting double-digit pay rises would sustain higher levels of inflation and have a bigger impact on people’s income in the long term, as well…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsThe hon. Lady talks about NHS staffing levels; we have 1.2 million staff within our NHS, and compared with last year, we have 3,700 more doctors and 9,100 more nurses, and…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsI thank my right hon. Friend for that question. I am sometimes staggered by the number of people on six-figure salaries within our NHS, but in an organisation of its size,…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsRepresenting the garrison city of Colchester, I have nothing but the utmost respect for our armed forces. It has not escaped my notice that many of them are on lower pay than NHS…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsI am not one to cast aspersions on the shadow Secretary of State, other than to say that I and the Secretary of State refuse to play politics with this issue. This is all about…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsThe hon. Gentleman puts it in his usual blunt way. The pay review body process is the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts in the public sector, outside of…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsWe are currently having those derogation discussions with the unions, and they will also happen at an individual trust level. As my hon. Friend will know, having been out with her…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsI thank the hon. Lady for her question and for her service as a nurse. We value hugely and appreciate all our NHS staff. We have given them a pay rise this year, on top of 3% last…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsI thank my hon. Friend for his question, and I echo his comments on the tragic events in Solihull, the boys who lost their lives and the heroic actions of those in the emergency…12 Dec 2022HANSARD Government PPE ContractsI thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, and I will come on to some of the action that we will take. She rightly mentions accountability. Details of the high-priority lane were…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityI thank my hon. Friend, who has been a long-standing advocate for a new general hospital for Warrington. The expression of interest from the trust has been received. We are…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityTo support operational resilience, the NHS has set out plans to increase hospital bed capacity by the equivalent of at least 7,000 general and acute beds during the winter. That…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityWe are investing £500 million to create another 200,000 social care placements, but we have significantly increased the number of physical beds available in our hospitals. In…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityI thank my right hon. Friend for his question. The Secretary of State visited Hillingdon Hospital—a hospital I am also aware of—over the summer. There has been no greater champion…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityFirst, let me thank the hon. Lady for her question. I am very sorry to hear about the case she highlights. I understand she has written to the Secretary of State on this issue.…06 Dec 2022HANSARDHospital Bed CapacityThis is not my direct area of responsibility, but of course mental health does present challenges for A&Es and for hospitals more generally. We are investing an extra £2.3 billion…06 Dec 2022HANSARDMedical Students: University PlacesThe Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. That plan will help to ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, including doctors with…06 Dec 2022HANSARDMedical Students: University PlacesWe have record numbers going into general practice, which is the remit of the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil…06 Dec 2022HANSARDMedical Students: University PlacesAs I said, we have committed to publishing a comprehensive workforce strategy, which, as the Chancellor set out, will be independently verified. That will come soon. We have also…06 Dec 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is a strong champion for Burnley, and I congratulate Burnley General Teaching Hospital on the incredible innovative work it is doing. He is right that rolling out…06 Dec 2022