Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority

Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 31 January 2006.

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Photo of Helen Jones Helen Jones Labour, Warrington North 2:30, 31 January 2006

If she will make a statement on possible mergers of acute trusts within the Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority.

Photo of Liam Byrne Liam Byrne Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health) (Care Services)

Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority is developing proposals to let NHS trusts locally apply for foundation trust status by 2008. Part of that work is looking at whether current organisational structures are best placed to meet patients' needs.

Photo of Helen Jones Helen Jones Labour, Warrington North

It is clear from documents that some of us have seen that the SHA is working on plans for mergers, including the merger of Warrington and Whiston hospitals. Will my hon. Friend tell the SHA that that is totally unacceptable for people in my constituency, who would face a 20-mile round trip to access some services? What people want is good services provided locally. Does he accept that, because of the SHA's actions, I, my constituents and many Labour Members have no confidence any more in what is an increasingly Stalinist and out of touch health authority?

Photo of Liam Byrne Liam Byrne Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health) (Care Services)

My hon. Friend knows that I take a close interest in Warrington hospital, not least because I was born there. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said, there are no firm plans for merger proposals. However, once such plans are developed, some very simple tests will be applied to determine whether they will benefit patients living in all the communities being served, and whether they are in line with the White Paper published yesterday. Moreover, any plans will be subject to full public consultation. I know that my hon. Friend is meeting the SHA chief executive on Friday, and I hope that she will make the points that she raised earlier forcefully to him.

Photo of Paul Rowen Paul Rowen Shadow Minister, Transport

I am sure that the Minister is aware of the reconfigurations and mergers planned in Greater Manchester, but is he also aware of the press statement issued last week by the Best for Health team that stated that petitions were not worth the paper on which they were written? Is that the right response for a listening health service?

Photo of Liam Byrne Liam Byrne Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health) (Care Services)

That was not an appropriate comment, given that the petition in question had 30,000 signatures. I want to put on record my thanks to those who made the effort to get involved in the campaign. The White Paper that we presented to the House yesterday contained a wide range of expectations about how local health organisations need to consult with the public in their area. We also set out a range of new ways in which local voices will be heard in the consultations. We fully expect the NHS in the hon. Gentleman's constituency to give full regard to the proposals in the future.

Photo of Gwyneth Dunwoody Gwyneth Dunwoody Labour, Crewe and Nantwich

May I refute the suggestion that the SHA is Stalinist? It is not nearly that competent. Will my hon. Friend look seriously at the suggested reorganisation of the heath trust used by my constituents? It would lumber us with enormous deficits yet deliver no improvement in services, and would lead to many very incompetent administrators receiving very large redundancy payments.

Photo of Liam Byrne Liam Byrne Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health) (Care Services)

My hon. Friend speaks with great wisdom, and I am sure that the local NHS will profit from her advice. I shall make sure that the attention of the local chief executive is drawn to her comments this afternoon.