The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, gave a statement to the House today, and the proceedings were very bad tempered indeed.
Hunt said that as a result of the report released today by Sir Bruce Keogh, 14 hospitals would be put under close scrutiny. Of those, 11 would be placed in "special measures," the most stringent possible outcome. The hospitals in question were read out by the Secretary of State, as if in a roll call of shame, ranging from North Cumbria to Medway. These hospitals would be inspected again in a year's time by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, a role that had been created today. External teams would monitor the progress being made at each of the fourteen.
The best way to transform the NHS is by bringing in a much greater level of transparency, said Hunt, and at this word, the Opposition benches roared their disapproval. It is "never acceptable for the Government" to "put pressure on the NHS" and to encourage the suppression of bad news, he said. Again, the Labour benches shouted their disapproval.
Andy Burnham (Lab, Leigh) stood to roars from all sides—approval from his own benches, cries of "resign" from opposite. He said he "knew Sir Bruce well," and spoke of the "challenging but accurate picture" that his report painted of the trouble faced by hospitals. But "the statement we have just heard—partisan statement," is not worthy of the report, he said, to jeers from the Government benches.
Burnham pushed on in a poisonous atmosphere. The report, he said, dealt with failings in 2010-12, a period in which the present government was in charge: nothing to do with Labour. The report reminds the reader of the decades of neglect suffered by the NHS during the 1980s, said Burnham, and it was only the last Labour government that dealt with that neglect. "Smokescreen," shouted a government MP.
Burnham then went in on the attack, turning to the "cynical spin operation," that surrounded the launch of the Keogh report. The figure of 13,000 avoidable deaths, which appeared in the press, does not occur anywhere in the report, he said. The Government, he said, has "made unfounded claims," about hospitals that would have alarmed the people who used them, he said.
Repeating a theme he had brought up at Health Questions earlier, Burnham stressed the report's finding that there were "inadequate" numbers of nursing staff and said that it was "outrageous," that these claims about the fourteen failing hospitals were made by the government "without a shred of evidence." He also pointed to the "devastating cuts in social care," that have recently taken place, saying that cuts to care staff should be stopped immediately. Burnham's concluding line won a deafening wave of shouts from all sides: the Government "shouldn't play politics with people's lives."
The Secretary of State was barely at the Dispatch Box when a Labour MP was told off by the Speaker for bad behaviour. Speaker Bercow mentioned that the Member looked like he was "going to explode," and that he might consider taking a sedative. This marked the beginning of the low point in the exchanges. Hunt read out a series of examples in which the Care Quality Commission, the body that regulates the NHS had erred, had failed to listen to whistleblowers and had been the effective agent of the Labour government. He also suggested that Burnham, when running the NHS, had tried to silence whistleblowers, a claim that drew prolonged and angry shouting from the Labour benches. The Speaker stepped in once more, requesting calm and reminding the House that "this is not a debate. This is a statement."
Hunt continued, saying that although Labour said it tackled problems, the evidence suggests "the opposite," at which the shouting became once more so loud that the Speaker called order again, frostily this time, imploring the Secretary of State to answer the questions put to him by his opposite number, and not simply to read out a list of Labour failings. Hunt stood once more and immediately the bellowing was so loud that the Speaker again called order. And then again.
"This is difficult for Labour to hear," said Hunt and as the shouts rose this became true of everyone in the House. His last few words however, could be heard above the deafening shouts of Members, as he concluded that today had been Labour's "darkest moment," and again, the Speaker was forced to call order.
Alan Johnson then rose to speak, but his question was cut clean in half by a shout from the Government benches of what appeared to be the word "Liar." The Speaker was again forced to stop proceedings, saying that he had not seen who had used the term, and to warn the House away from such language. Jack Straw then stood to assure the House that when in Government his colleagues took the greatest pains to ensure that the NHS should be as efficient as possible. Several questioners deplored Government attempts to "smear" Burnham.
Hunt replied, saying that there had been 81 requests for an enquiry into failings at Mid Staffs Hospital, and that the Labour Government had ignored them all. "Not true," shouted a Labour MP.
"My commitment," said Hunt, is that we'll sort these failing hospitals out."
This heartening sentiment shone out of what was a truly ghastly session in the House.
Hunt said that as a result of the report released today by Sir Bruce Keogh, 14 hospitals would be put under close scrutiny. Of those, 11 would be placed in "special measures," the most stringent possible outcome. The hospitals in question were read out by the Secretary of State, as if in a roll call of shame, ranging from North Cumbria to Medway. These hospitals would be inspected again in a year's time by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, a role that had been created today. External teams would monitor the progress being made at each of the fourteen.
The best way to transform the NHS is by bringing in a much greater level of transparency, said Hunt, and at this word, the Opposition benches roared their disapproval. It is "never acceptable for the Government" to "put pressure on the NHS" and to encourage the suppression of bad news, he said. Again, the Labour benches shouted their disapproval.
Andy Burnham (Lab, Leigh) stood to roars from all sides—approval from his own benches, cries of "resign" from opposite. He said he "knew Sir Bruce well," and spoke of the "challenging but accurate picture" that his report painted of the trouble faced by hospitals. But "the statement we have just heard—partisan statement," is not worthy of the report, he said, to jeers from the Government benches.
Burnham pushed on in a poisonous atmosphere. The report, he said, dealt with failings in 2010-12, a period in which the present government was in charge: nothing to do with Labour. The report reminds the reader of the decades of neglect suffered by the NHS during the 1980s, said Burnham, and it was only the last Labour government that dealt with that neglect. "Smokescreen," shouted a government MP.
Burnham then went in on the attack, turning to the "cynical spin operation," that surrounded the launch of the Keogh report. The figure of 13,000 avoidable deaths, which appeared in the press, does not occur anywhere in the report, he said. The Government, he said, has "made unfounded claims," about hospitals that would have alarmed the people who used them, he said.
Repeating a theme he had brought up at Health Questions earlier, Burnham stressed the report's finding that there were "inadequate" numbers of nursing staff and said that it was "outrageous," that these claims about the fourteen failing hospitals were made by the government "without a shred of evidence." He also pointed to the "devastating cuts in social care," that have recently taken place, saying that cuts to care staff should be stopped immediately. Burnham's concluding line won a deafening wave of shouts from all sides: the Government "shouldn't play politics with people's lives."
The Secretary of State was barely at the Dispatch Box when a Labour MP was told off by the Speaker for bad behaviour. Speaker Bercow mentioned that the Member looked like he was "going to explode," and that he might consider taking a sedative. This marked the beginning of the low point in the exchanges. Hunt read out a series of examples in which the Care Quality Commission, the body that regulates the NHS had erred, had failed to listen to whistleblowers and had been the effective agent of the Labour government. He also suggested that Burnham, when running the NHS, had tried to silence whistleblowers, a claim that drew prolonged and angry shouting from the Labour benches. The Speaker stepped in once more, requesting calm and reminding the House that "this is not a debate. This is a statement."
Hunt continued, saying that although Labour said it tackled problems, the evidence suggests "the opposite," at which the shouting became once more so loud that the Speaker called order again, frostily this time, imploring the Secretary of State to answer the questions put to him by his opposite number, and not simply to read out a list of Labour failings. Hunt stood once more and immediately the bellowing was so loud that the Speaker again called order. And then again.
"This is difficult for Labour to hear," said Hunt and as the shouts rose this became true of everyone in the House. His last few words however, could be heard above the deafening shouts of Members, as he concluded that today had been Labour's "darkest moment," and again, the Speaker was forced to call order.
Alan Johnson then rose to speak, but his question was cut clean in half by a shout from the Government benches of what appeared to be the word "Liar." The Speaker was again forced to stop proceedings, saying that he had not seen who had used the term, and to warn the House away from such language. Jack Straw then stood to assure the House that when in Government his colleagues took the greatest pains to ensure that the NHS should be as efficient as possible. Several questioners deplored Government attempts to "smear" Burnham.
Hunt replied, saying that there had been 81 requests for an enquiry into failings at Mid Staffs Hospital, and that the Labour Government had ignored them all. "Not true," shouted a Labour MP.
"My commitment," said Hunt, is that we'll sort these failing hospitals out."
This heartening sentiment shone out of what was a truly ghastly session in the House.
