Results 1-20 of 21 for foundation hospital speaker:Hazel Blears

NHS Hospitals (10 Jun 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...some cause for concern, and zero stars to trusts that are identified as having the poorest performance. The hon. Gentleman was concerned that the trusts that are eligible for consideration for NHS foundation trust status have some weaknesses in their systems, and the Audit Commission report identified three out of the four trusts which may have some weaknesses. However, I assure the hon....

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: Training is dealt with extensively elsewhere in the Bill. Under clause 14(1) and (4), training will be set out in terms of the authorisation of the foundation trust. Under clause 3, the regulator has to take account of the Secretary of State's responsibilities in respect of training in setting up the terms of the authorisations. Training is not a matter simply for the board of governors. It...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...view of the role of public sector non-executive directors that has developed in recent years. The role of the board of governors is to provide a voice and influence for the stakeholders in the NHS foundation trust—the public and staff constituencies. The governors have rights to be consulted and to receive information so that they can represent those interests effectively and feed...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...democracy in which people want to know about things because they are members and they care about what is happening. Amendment No. 129 would remove paragraph 12(2). It is important that NHS foundation trusts have the flexibility to make further provisions in their constitutions. To remove the sub-paragraph would be a retrograde step. The Bill is not intended to provide a complete framework...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...distinction between the approach taken by Government Members and the hon. Gentleman's approach. We are determined that local people, as residents, will have a direct say in what happens to the hospital that serves them and their families in their community, and that their views should not be mediated through another organisation. The hon. Gentleman talks about direct democracy and pure...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...of the institutions. He said that no group, other than those who use the Royal Marsden, can have a sense of allegiance; but he has just identified a group of people who have allegiance to a hospital. That hospital might not fall within the neat boundaries of his constituency. In my area, people in the north of Salford identify with North Manchester hospital, whereas those in the south of...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...area that have done something similar. On amendment No. 130, we agree that, as a principle, the costs of the elections should be clear. That is the right way to go. The annual reports of each NHS foundation trust, which will be laid before Parliament, will clearly set out the costs of the elections, so the amendment is unnecessary and should be rejected. Amendments Nos. 71 and 120...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...on the board to ensure that it fully represents the communities it serves. It would be possible for that to happen. Some organisations have dealings with various PCTs. Whereas Walsall and York hospitals have service level agreements with only one PCT, Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS trust and City Hospitals Sunderland trust have from three to five service level agreements. The Queen Victoria...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...hon. Friend's policy, perhaps he will let the Committee know. What was said is clear Conservative party policy, and is diametrically opposed to the direction of the Government. The creation of NHS foundation trusts represents a genuine exercise in a new form of community and social ownership. We want to maximise the involvement of local people, whether as residents, staff or patients. I...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: There are two responses to the hon. Gentleman's point. If people are local residents and have worked for ever for the hospital in those roles, clearly they would be able to have an influence on the organisation. However, that would not be in relation to their trade union and bargaining rights, and the hon. Gentleman should realise that important distinction. My hon. Friend the Member for...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (15 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: The hon. Gentleman has not grasped the fact that there is a need for commitment to patients and to the organisation. The NHS foundation trust will be a unique organisation, based on drawing together staff, the public and the patients; everybody who has a stake in the matter. That is why we have created this new form of public benefit corporation. There must be an entity to which people feel...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (13 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...support that will be available to applicant trusts to enable them to take on the burden of connecting in a democratic fashion with their local communities as well as running the core services of a hospital trust. It is important to keep in mind that this will be a new venture for many NHS foundation trusts. I am delighted that many trusts are enthusiastic and willing partners in the...

Public Bill Committee: Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill: Schedule 1 - Constitution of public benefit corporations (13 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...which are principal providers. It is difficult to define accurately what a principal provider would mean in practice and there is an enormous range of primary care trusts with which prospective NHS foundation trusts could have contracts; it could be from one PCT to practically all of them. The right hon. Member for North-West Hampshire cited the example of Moorfields eye hospital. In that...

NHS Complaints Procedure (6 May 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...raised. I am certainly very sorry about the circumstances in which Mrs. Hawkins' mother died. I know that Mrs Hawkins was extremely unhappy with the care that her mother received at the Eastbourne Hospitals NHS trust before her death. Any death is extremely difficult for relatives to deal with. When it happens in hospital, however, and those close to the deceased believe that better care...

Health Services (Cornwall) (12 Mar 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...per cent. real-terms increase for next year. I want to highlight a couple of matters to which the hon. Gentleman did not refer, including a new £5 million clinical oncology centre at Royal Cornwall hospital. I know that services in relation to cancer are still under pressure in the area, but the new oncology centre, which was opened last year, will be incredibly welcome. There has...

Foundation Hospitals (7 Jan 2003)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...that they welcome the investment and the changes that are going on, and recognise the contribution made by NHS staff in delivering the improvements. That is the context in which we are introducing foundation trusts and extending new forms of ownership and social enterprise in the health service generally. My hon. Friends the Members for Stroud (Mr. Drew) and for Plymouth, Sutton (Linda...

Written Answers — Health: Cardiac Services (19 Sep 2002)

Ms Hazel Blears: ...NSF) for coronary heart disease recognised that there was more to be done to improve the care and quality of life that patients with heart failure experience, and to reduce the number of avoidable hospital admissions. As the early priorities for the NSF are now being delivered, heart failure is now a top priority for the next phase of delivery of the NSF. The Department will be working in...

Specialised Hospital Services (North-West London) (13 Mar 2002)

Ms Hazel Blears: First, I congratulate the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson) on securing this debate about the future of specialist hospital services in north-west London. It gives me a chance to set out the work under way in relation to Harefield hospital and the Paddington basin complex. The scheme will cost £360 million, and will bring together the NHS and the Imperial college school...

Written Answers — Health: National Network for the Arts in Health (11 Feb 2002)

Ms Hazel Blears: Art has long been used in hospital buildings, with many recognising the healing power of the arts. The arts can contribute very significantly to the provision of health care; by improving the environment for patients, visitors and staff; by encouraging community participation and social regeneration; through therapeutic activity and staff development. The National Network for the Arts in...

Written Answers — Health: Stoke Mandeville Hospital (9 Jan 2002)

Ms Hazel Blears: Two parcels of land at Stoke Mandeville hospital have been disposed of. One is subject of a number of conditions which have yet to be satisfied, so the amount of the receipts will not be known until all of the conditions have been fulfilled, and the payment due is calculated. The strategy for disposal of the site was agreed by the previous Anglia and Oxford regional office of the Department....