argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) on securing what, for me, is an incredibly important debate. I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Henley (John Howell), because he and I have probably been doing the same thing in going to talk to people in our local community about local health care. I must say that my experience is of a very different health care system—one that is under real pressure and, frankly, very much in danger in my local community I wanted to speak in this debate to put my concerns on the record and to ask the Minister and officials at the Department of Health to look at my area, because I am so worried about these issues. As an MP, I see it as my job first and foremost to help the patients of Walthamstow—my neighbours, as well as my family and friends in the area—who can see how our services are falling apart. As their MP, my very real worry is that, as much as I have tried to raise such concerns, all I hear is that those problems are for someone else or for some other organisation to resolve. I want to put on the record some of the issues, and to explain the situation in our local community and how it is having an impact on doctors. By doing so, I hope to convince the Minister to pay special attention to Waltham Forest There are 45 GP member practices in Waltham Forest CCG. We have one of the fastest growing populations in the country, but many of the practices are in poorly maintained buildings and are single-handed. They serve a community that has a very high incidence of what we might call lifestyle diseases—diabetes, heart disease, cancer—and GP access is absolutely critical to the outcomes achieved for patients.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): I apologise for using shorthand. My right hon. Friend is completely right. I am talking about type 2 diabetes. For example, many people from the south Asian community in my constituency have type 2 diabetes We are told that our local GP work force needs to grow by 40% by the end of the next Parliament if it is to serve the community I represent. However, I can already see very real problems with our local community service, and that is bad for the patients and for the rest of the NHS. We know how difficult it is to recruit and retain doctors, but in my part of town, with the high cost of living in London, it will get even harder Since 2011, complaints about GP access have rolled into my constituency office. Let me give the Minister some examples. Just the other day, a resident rang me and said: "Look, the receptionists were perfectly polite. They said call at 9 o’clock or queue up before the surgery opens to get an appointment, but the line was constantly engaged from 9 o’clock. My phone shows I called 28 times between 9 am and 9.30 am, and I could not get through. When I did get through, it was only to be told that there were no more appointments left." That is not unusual in my community Little wonder that residents in Walthamstow routinely report that it takes two weeks to get an appointment with a doctor. Nationally, we know that one in four people wait a week or more. The problem—this is why I disagree with the hon. Gentleman—is that it is very hard for people to know whether or not they need to see a doctor, especially if they are worried about a child Let me give another example of a complaint I received just the other day: "I have had constant problems trying to get a GP appointment for my 13-month-old daughter since she was born. A couple of times, even only last week, I was asked by reception staff at the doctors why I hadn’t gone to A and E." That is the constant question for residents in my local community when they cannot get through to the surgery—should they wait or should they go to A and E I agree with the hon. Gentleman that not everybody needs to see a doctor, but another resident told me: "I fell and cut my hand deeply on glass. I went to the doctors to ask if a nurse could check that there was no glass left in. They told me to go to hospital. The cut was really not that bad. But they said they don’t have any nurses on a Friday and I would have to make an appointment to see a nurse—two weeks as usual, no doubt—so I just left it, as I do with most pains, coughs or small lumps, and hoped it would sort itself out. My hand is healing now and seems to be glass-free. I hope so anyway." That is not unusual in my area. At least that elderly lady could have seen a nurse, but many constituents tell me that they do not bother to see a doctor because of how long that takes, and they take the risk of waiting.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): It is unusual for me to agree with the hon. Gentleman, but I agree that we need to look at how we can attract and retain doctors. We also need to look at what these problems do to the rest of the NHS Let me tell the hon. Gentleman about a constituent of mine who had a problem with his eyesight that was caused by high blood pressure. Because he could not get a doctor’s appointment, he left the condition alone. He has now gone blind in one eye and his other eye is at risk. His elderly wife came to me because she did not want to bother the doctor. We have to change that culture and to consider the consequences of not using our resources to deal with those early problems. When we leave somebody like that and they end up going blind, the cost to all of us to help them is much greater than if they had been able to access a GP. We must look at the terms of the job, but also at where the resources are not going. I have been raising those questions with local health care providers.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): Although I am a doctor, I am not a medical doctor, so I warn the hon. Gentleman that if he needs treatment, he should not come and see me. However, I could tell him why he has no friends—that is the sort of doctorate I have There are many issues and the number of single practices might be one of them. My point is that nobody has got a grip of this issue over the past couple of years, despite the fact that I, as the Member of Parliament, have raised concerns. In 2011, the complaints about access to GPs started coming in. I went to the primary care trust, but because of the reorganisation of the NHS, nobody was interested in the case that we were trying to make. The PCT said, "Wait until the CCG is organised." I tried the new CCG, but six months after saying that it would look into the repeated complaints that I had raised, it said that this was not its issue and told me to go to NHS England Initially, NHS England told me that I could not raise the issues on behalf of patients because of patient confidentiality. It could not respond to any of the concerns that I was raising because they related to patient records. It then tried to say that unless the residents had complained to the GPs about GP access, it would not look into the issue, even though I had a binder full of complaints, which showed that it was a problem not just with an individual practice, but with many local practices in my local community. There was widespread concern. The problem continued and, eventually, NHS England came back to me and said, "It’s all right. We’ve spoken to the practices and they have said that if people want an appointment, they can ring up and get one." It was a circular and deeply frustrating experience.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Natascha Engel (Labour, Centre-left): It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow) who, in his previous role as Minister responsible in this area, gained a wealth of knowledge of primary care, mental health and social care, something I want to pick up on in terms of GP services I do not want to repeat everything that has been said before, but without a doubt GP services are facing a real crisis. Everybody has mentioned how many people use their GPs. Most people have a GP. Over 90% of all contacts made in the NHS are made through GP services. GPs and GP practices are the absolute bedrock on which the NHS is founded, so we must get this right. At the moment something is going very, very wrong I want to put this in context. The hon. Member for Clacton (Douglas Carswell) said earlier that this was about patients, not doctors. Unless we get right the framework in which the doctors are working, it is the patients who suffer. We also need to understand that, over the last 20 years, the number of GP consultations has risen by 25%. There are many more appointments, without the system having changed that much to accommodate that. The average person now sees a GP six times a year, which is double what it was a decade ago, but the word "average" hides something. I represent a constituency with quite high levels of deprivation, but there are a couple of perfectly well-to-do areas where the GP services are not in crisis and are absolutely fine. The problems are in those areas of greatest deprivation. Arguably those are the areas that most need GP services to be running as well as they can. It is also where GPs are under such a lot of strain; some are retiring early and others are not going into GP practice in the first place. I want to emphasise that if a person is deprived, they will use their GP services as much more of a lifeline than others who go to see their GP My hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Stella Creasy) spoke passionately on behalf of her constituents. We found in one of our practices where services were starting to crumble that problems compounded each other. Once things start to go wrong, there is a terrible domino effect. A high number of patients are signed up to my practice and one of the partners retired. That one retirement caused the GP practice to go into crisis. We can all sometimes make the situation worse by highlighting an individual practice, in order to try to help as much as possible, and saying that it is in crisis. That means that GPs will not then apply to work there, when actually the issue is not about that one practice; it is one piece of an entire jigsaw. Patients then leave that practice and sign up at a neighbouring practice, causing that practice to go into crisis. We need to look at this not from the perspective of North East Derbyshire or Walthamstow, but as a national problem.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Jamieson Ronald Reed (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend share my concern that unless we as a country address these problems quickly, holistically and in a detailed way, we run the risk of creating a two-tier NHS service, in which those who, as she rightly points out, most need care are less able to access it?
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Natascha Engel (Labour, Centre-left): Absolutely, and we ought to look at the issue of ownership of GP practices quite quickly; perhaps more imaginative ways can be found of ensuring that NHS England and those in the areas finding things most difficult can take on ownership of individual practices and GP services. We need to consider all these different issues. The Royal College of General Practitioners has said that there is a shortage of 10,000 GPs, and we need to get on top of that urgently. We need to make it more attractive for GPs to go into practice. As the hon. Member for Clacton said, it is patients who suffer when there are not enough GPs in the service I have worked closely with Steve Lloyd, a GP who is chair of the Hardwick clinical commissioning group, which covers the southern part of my constituency. He took me through all the facts and figures, but the big point he made at the end was, "Cherish it or lose it." I want to end on that note.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
James Fitzpatrick (Labour, Centre-left): It is pleasure to follow my right hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley (Mr Howarth). I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) and his supporters on securing this important debate. I first raised this question on behalf of GP practices in Poplar and Limehouse on 13 May last year and the issue has not gone away, as the Minister is aware. The motion states that the House "notes the vital role played by local GP services in communities" I am sure that we all feel that we do more than note those services—we are very appreciative of them, we value them and have high regard for them. Doctors at the Ettrick Street practice on the Aberfeldy estate in east London, especially Dr Phillip Bennett-Richards, do a first-class job for us and are highly regarded by the local community I was grateful last year when the Minister’s colleague, Earl Howe, agreed to meet me and a small delegation from two practices in my constituency.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
John Derek Twigg (Labour, Centre-left): With respect to the Minister, I am not suggesting that everything that the Labour Government did was perfect or that we met every demand on us. I tried to make it clear, although he does not want to recognise this, that there were massive improvements in the number of GPs. The Library’s figures for 2003 to 2009 show an extra 5,000 GPs. Many of the GPs now coming into place were trained under the Labour Government.
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Grahame Mark Morris (Labour, Centre-left): Will the Minister address the point that I raised about under-doctored areas, particularly deprived areas, where we find it difficult to attract GPs? Would he consider writing off the student loans of those individuals in order to make it attractive to work there?
GP Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-05
Topic: Health
Jamieson Ronald Reed (Labour, Centre-left): In 1997, only half of patients could see a GP within 48 hours. By 2010 the vast majority could do so. Does the Minister agree with Maureen Baker of the Royal College of General Practitioners, who said: "It is ludicrous to continue to blame a GP-contract that is more than ten years old for the woes currently besetting the entire NHS"?
Reports into Investigatory Powers — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Defense
Yvette Cooper (Labour, Centre-left): I have not seen the Sheinwald report or had prior briefing on it, so I could not say how much redaction would be needed, but the right hon. Gentleman is right that the more transparency we can have in this debate, the better, so I urge the Government to consider allowing maximum transparency in this regard, to the extent possible, given the operational sensitivities and our relationship with the US Government on this. Clearly, the more we can look at the detail of alternative ways of providing the powers, safeguards and legitimacy needed, the better, and the better informed the parliamentary debate will be The initial debates and the response from the Government were not sufficient. However, we have since had reports from the Intelligence and Security Committee and David Anderson, and we have another forthcoming external report from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies. This is the opportunity for Parliament to make sure that we have a proper updated response on the complexities of the digital age and how we maintain our security and liberty in it. More safeguards and checks and balances are needed, but it is also important that our intelligence agencies can deal with the serious and growing threats that the Home Secretary talked about. We need to make sure that our talented men and women in the agencies can face those real and serious threats, but also have legitimacy for the work that they do, and the continued confidence of the public. That is in all our interests In a democracy, our liberty and security are the targets of terrorists who seek to harm and divide us. Liberal democracy will triumph over extremism and tyranny, but for it to do so, we need to strengthen ourselves by renewing our security and our liberty. The Anderson report helps us to have a debate about how best we do that to protect our democracy.
National Gallery Industrial Dispute — House of Commons, 2015-06-25
Topic: Culture
John Martin McDonnell (Labour, Centre-left): I want to draw to the House’s attention the dispute taking place at the National Gallery, which has been the most extended period of industrial action at the gallery in the history of British cultural institutions. It is time for the Government and all those who want to see the dispute brought to an end to intervene so that we can bring both sides together before further damage is done to the gallery, its staff and its reputation There have now been 45 days of strike action since February by staff who have a reputation for loyalty to their service. It has been caused by plans by the management to privatise two thirds of the workforce—400 of the 600 jobs—which would be so damaging to the gallery and to the service provided to the general public. The dispute has disrupted the gallery’s functioning and damaged its reputation. During the period of industrial action, most of the rooms are closed to the public, talks and educational events are cancelled and much of the gallery cannot function as normal Staff morale at all grades is at rock bottom, and that has been intensified by the gallery’s decision to dismiss Candy Udwin as the senior Public and Commercial Services Union representative at the gallery. The gallery has so far refused to reinstate her, despite a ruling by an interim relief hearing that it is likely that she was unfairly dismissed for trade union activities.
Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill [Lords] — House of Commons, 2015-03-09
Topic: Defense
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): I give the Minister 10 out of 10 for her brass neck, because these amendments were tabled subsequent to her losing the vote in Committee, and the Government do not want to press them to a vote tonight for fear that she might lose again. The amendments are consequential to the major change that took place in Committee, namely that to the nature of the ombudsman. What the Minister originally proposed was a dry institution that would have dealt only with maladministration, but the ombudsman’s role has now been opened up to cover a wider range of complaints. I have been arguing for that for a long time, and the Defence Committee also argued effectively for it in its report.
Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill [Lords] — House of Commons, 2015-03-09
Topic: Defense
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): We at Portland were always better at snowball fighting than Hartland, Mr Speaker This is a very important day. The Bill brings into being an armed forces ombudsman, something that is long overdue. I have been involved in this issue since I came to Parliament, both as a member of the Defence Committee and as a Defence Minister in the previous Government. This day will be pleasing to those who have campaigned over many years for a system of oversight and redress for our armed forces. I am thinking of the families of those involved in Deepcut and the recommendations of Mr Justice Blake’s report. People have campaigned over many years to get to this point today The Minister asked why the previous Government did not introduce this measure during our 13 years in office. We did: we set up the Armed Forces Service Complaints Commissioner. Did some of us at the time want to go further? Yes, we did. I argued for that very strongly, along with other members of the Defence Committee, including my hon. Friend the Member for Midlothian (Mr Hamilton) who was on the Opposition Whip’s Bench a moment ago. He made very strong representations to try to get to this point in 2006. I have to say that the people who argued against it were the conservative elements of the chain of command and the Conservative Front-Bench team of the time, who said that it would be the end of the world if we even had a Service Complaints Commissioner Those same voices thought that this next step would be a step too far, which is possibly why the Government were initially resistant in Committee to the changes. I said in Committee and I say it again now: I do not think there is anything in the Bill that senior members of the chain of command in our armed forces should be fearful of. If we look back to when we introduced the Service Complaints Commissioner, there was an argument that people would be interfering with the chain of command. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, what has happened is that senior military personnel now see that the way in which Susan Atkins has carried out the function of Service Complaints Commissioner has added not only to the process of accountability and transparency, but with the recommendations that she has brought forward. I put on record my thanks to her for how she has carried out the job. She saw the limitations that she was acting under right from the start, but like any good regulator she pushed where she could and brought about change within the system.
Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill [Lords] — House of Commons, 2015-03-09
Topic: Defense
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): That is the change. I am glad to see dinosaurs still alive and kicking on the Conservative Back Benches, and long may they live I wish Nicola Williams all the best in the job she has before her. The Bill sets out a new era, but I think it will be very rewarding for her to ensure that the issues we have raised during the passage of the Bill are addressed One of the issues to be addressed, and which the armed forces have to wake up to, was raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon): the delay in dealing with complaints. Most organisations, whether companies, local councils or even central Government these days, would not put up with the delay in dealing with complaints. The armed forces need a performance mechanism to enable complaints to be dealt with simply, quickly and effectively, and the nearer to the source of the complaint the better. Even if they do not like the outcome, at least early resolution avoids the added injustice of people thinking they are being messed around by the system. I just hope that the armed forces, particularly the Army, will take that on board and that we can ensure the speedy resolution of some complaints Of course, the perfect position would be if the ombudsman did not have anything to do, but that is not going to happen—there is already a backlog. Over time, however, not only will she be able to suggest improvements to the system, but I hope that slowly we can educate people in the chain of command that a more effective way of dealing with complaints and disciplinary action in general would be a better way forward I thank the Defence Committee for its work on the Bill. As I said, it is a good example of a Select Committee—the current Committee and its predecessors over several years—taking a keen interest in a subject, ensuring parliamentary scrutiny and not letting go of an issue. It has kept on pressing for this type of redress system. I also think that the changes made in the Bill Committee have improved the Bill—the Government were wise to accept the amendments, because had we not done that now, we would have had to return to the issue in four or five years’ time—and I wish the Bill Godspeed through its remaining stages. We must support our armed forces not only with our words in the House, but with an effective system that supports armed forces personnel on the rare occasions—as the Minister said, they are rare—when things go wrong and which gives them the justice and support they deserve Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed, with amendments.