Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 25 October 2005.
Jane Kennedy
Minister of State, Department of Health
2:30,
25 October 2005
Yes, it is right that we should seek efficiency savings. An organisation the size of NHS, which treats millions of patients a year, must have effective management as well as administrative and clerical staff to take away that burden. No one wants to see nurses and doctors wasting valuable time on training or being tied up with administration instead of being out on the wards delivering patient care. We need to stop using NHS managers and support staff as scapegoats, as Conservative Members often do. We need to back those who are working flat out to support the NHS.