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Health Care-Associated Infections

The right hon. Lady makes a good point, which I shall deal with. In 1982, 170,520 ancillary staff were employed in the NHS in England. By 1996, the number was down to 66,760—8,000 jobs a year or more than 20 a day were lost in the cleaning and ancillary service. Let us remember the process. Compulsory competitive tendering was allegedly a test of efficiency. In reality, health service workers who had worked in the NHS for five, 10, 15 or 20 years were sacked and asked to bid for their jobs back. At the same time they were told that £2.40 or £2.30 an hour was far too much.