John Penrose

Conservative Party | Weston-super-Mare

Prime Minister’s Questions

John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare) (Con): Weston-super-Mare hospital is one of the most efficient in the country, with reference costs roughly 15 per cent. below the Government's targets over the past two years, yet yesterday it had to announce cuts of £11 million and, according to Unison, the loss of up to 60 front-line nursing posts. Given that the Department of Health has so far refused to implement payment by results, which would wipe out that deficit in a year, and has also refused to act on the problem of local primary care trust funding being £11 million below the Government's own target capitation figures, does the Prime Minister agree that this is not a problem created by local mismanagement but a crisis created by decisions made at Westminster? Will he intervene personally?

The Prime Minister: I am happy to look into the hon. Gentleman's point about how payment by results applies in his PCT, but when people talk about cuts in NHS finances, I have to say again that there is, on any basis, a huge increase in national health service financing for his area. On waiting times, for example—[Interruption.] Well that is where the money has gone, too. In 1997, in the strategic health authority covering the hon. Gentleman's constituency, the number of people waiting more than six months for an operation was almost 12,000; today it is three. That may be three too many but it is a darn sight better than 12,000. I agree that when we introduce new measures of financial accountability there will difficulties and sometimes posts will not be filled or will be made redundant, but if at the end of the process we have a national health service that is fit for purpose in the early 21st century, where waiting lists come down even further and we get rid of the concept of waiting in the NHS, that change will help his constituents. I cannot promise him that there will not be difficulty or change in his area or in any other, but I can say that it is fully worth it to make sure that every pound of taxpayers' money going into the national health service is most effectively used