Schedule 1 - Schedule 7a to be inserted in the
Health (Wales) Bill
12:00 pm
Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley, Conservative)
I actually think that it would. I hope that there will be regular interim reports on given areas, so that inadequate provision in all types of NHS care can be addressed immediately, and only not once a year. However, the report once a year could at least reflect on some of the other reports that the CHC had produced, and some of campaigns that it had been waging. If problems were not being addressed properly in a given area, the CHC could say, ''This is what needs to be done. We're very unhappy about this. We have asked for certain changes to be made. They haven't listened. There is a real problem, and the lack of provision is going to continue, unless this happens.''
Conversely, a CHC could say in its report, ''We have featured this particular problem in one of our sub-reports. We now mention it again in this annual report to say that our concerns have been taken on board.'' There could be extra provision of dentists in Caernarfon or Monmouth, or in another area. Monmouth is a large constituency. Although there may be good provision of dentists in, say, Chepstow, a lack of provision in the town of Monmouth itself would be a problem. People should not be expected to drive huge distances.
Let us say that a CHC mentioned a problem in one of its sub-reports—for example, that the hon. Member for Monmouth found the lack of provision a difficulty—and that it was then addressed. The CHC could rightly say, ''We're pleased to see that the concerns we raised earlier have been met. There is much better provision and people in a local area have no difficulties whatever in finding an NHS dentist.''