[Un-allotted Half Day] — Health and Social Care Bill

Part of Opposition Day – in the House of Commons at 5:58 pm on 13 March 2012.

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Photo of Chris Skidmore Chris Skidmore Conservative, Kingswood 5:58, 13 March 2012

It is an honour to speak in this debate.

I thought that I should set out the context of our discussion. Various Members on both sides of the House have talked about demand, in particular, and it is important to look at that question. Most importantly, we must admit that the NHS needs to adapt under new pressures. In 2001 the NHS treated 12 million patients. Today that figure is 17 million, so in other words the number of people accessing the NHS has risen over the past decade from 101 per minute to 124 per minute, resulting in the cost of drugs and prescriptions rising by more than 65%.