Burt and Taylor quiz Bradshaw on Out-of-Hours Primary Care (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Burt and Taylor quiz Bradshaw on Out-of-Hours Primary Care

May 20, 2009 11:09 AM

• [May 07]: Lorely Burt (Solihull, Liberal Democrat): WHAT assessment he has made of the standard of out-of-hours primary care in (a) Solihull constituency and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw (Minister of State (Health Services; Minister for the South West), Department of Health; Exeter, Labour): The independent regulator, the Healthcare Commission, recently reviewed urgent and emergency care in England. Solihull was given a rating of three-five being the highest and one the lowest-with out-of-hours services contributing to 25 per cent. of that score. The review found that, nationally, out-of-hours services had improved significantly since 2005. Where the local NHS has concerns about the performance of its out-of-hours providers, it must take urgent and robust action to address them.

• Lorely Burt (Solihull, Liberal Democrat): Following the death of Mr. David Gray at the hands of Dr. Daniel Ubani, is it not the case that the Minister cannot give me an assurance for my constituents in Solihull, or indeed for constituents anywhere else, because there is no mechanism for assuring the quality and consistency of out-of-hours service? Do not patients need some guarantee on what basic level of assistance they are likely to receive?

Ben Bradshaw (Minister of State (Health Services; Minister for the South West), Department of Health; Exeter, Labour): The hon. Lady is wrong; the quality of out-of-hours services is monitored and assured a number of ways: first, primary care trusts have clear legal responsibilities to provide safe, high-quality out-of-hours services; and, secondly, strategic health authorities act as performance managers. The regulators, as she will be aware, are now investigating the provider that ran the services that led to the tragic death of David Gray. I would like to update the House. East of England strategic health authority informed me this morning that it had discovered new issues of concern about Take Care Now-the provider of the services in the case in question-and its performance that predate the Dr. Ubani case. The SHA is now reviewing, with the PCTs concerned, its previous decision to continue to use TCN services, pending the outcome of the Care Quality Commission investigation.

• . . Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest, Independent): The vetting procedures referred to by the Minister must be hopelessly inadequate to allow a cosmetic surgeon from Europe who did not even know the correct dose of diamorphine to work in this country. He has admitted killing the patient with a dose 10 times too great. Whatever vetting procedures we have are inadequate, and I ask the Minister to take steps to improve them, particularly in relation to doctors coming from the European Community.

Ben Bradshaw (Minister of State (Health Services; Minister for the South West), Department of Health; Exeter, Labour): As a doctor himself, the hon. Gentleman will know that this country has among the highest levels of vetting of professionals of any country in the world. Employers have a legal duty to ensure that all doctors whom they appoint are fit to practice, and all doctors, including locums, must be on an official performers list, and must be registered with the independent regulatory body, the General Medical Council. He is right: we are talking about an absolutely terrible case, for which the doctor has been tried in his absence. As a result, as I informed the House, the SHA, with local primary care trusts, is reviewing the contract given to the company concerned. There are clear legal obligations on PCTs and strategic health authorities to ensure that their out-of-hours services are safe. Something went terribly wrong in the case that we are discussing, and he is right that it is important that both the local and national NHS learns the lessons as a result of it.

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: