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NHS Staffing

I should like to thank hon. and right hon. colleagues for their contribution to this debate on NHS staffing. I cannot apologise for smiling so often throughout the debate; such is my way that I am known often to smile at many hon. Members. Since 1997, the NHS has made significant progress in improving the level of health care in this country. The unprecedented level of investment by this Government in staffing in the NHS has been instrumental in bringing this about. I will try to refer to some of the points raised by hon. Members in the short time that I have. The hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) has invited me to visit his constituency, and I have agreed—and will continue to agree—to do so. I had the pleasure of meeting his wife when we were away on a trip together, and she had my sympathy on the issue of health care. She might possibly have my sympathy for other reasons, now that I have got to know the hon. Gentleman and the particular style that he has developed in the House. I feel that she might possibly agree with me on that. Work force planning has always been critical to the NHS. Having worked in the NHS for more than 25 years, I know how important it is to have the right staffing levels on wards. I remember not having such levels in the '80s and '90s. I also remember training schools being closed. We were told that we were training too many nurses and doctors, and places were cut. In fact, I spoke recently to Dr. Peter Carter, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, and he was happy for me to convey his views. He said:"““The last 10 years have seen substantial growth in nurse numbers. This has helped address the legacy from the 1980s and 1990s of workload issues””." At that time, we did not always plan in the way we should have done, and I am aware that officials in the Department of Health take some criticism. Let us also give them praise, however, as they are now working hard on work force planning, as they perhaps wanted to do in the '80s and '90s as well. It is exceptionally important to have the right levels not only of doctors and nurses—they always come to the forefront when we talk about the health service—but of physiotherapists and talking therapists, who play a hugely important role, as do staff right across the section, from the cleaners who keep a complex cleaning care programme in place right through to the top docs. The work force is being planned under Lord Ara Darzi's review, under my chairmanship and, most importantly, with the membership of the clinicians themselves, in the sectors that look after our cancer care and our new stroke strategy, which has been welcomed by the all-party parliamentary stroke group as well as by the Stroke Association. Matters relating to cardiac rehabilitation need to be addressed in some areas, and I urge the managers involved to do that. While we are discussing managers, let me say that there has been a fall in their number. The last NHS census showed the first fall in management members since the introduction of occupations codes in 1995. However, let me go on to say that managers are exceptionally important to the NHS. We know that without them it can break down, and we know the serious consequences of that. We understand the importance of learning from previous mistakes and of ensuring that all managers and health care professionals are totally committed to providing safe care. The hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) spoke about his being the vice-president of the Royal College of Midwives. I watched his career with interest when he served on the Health Select Committee, particularly in respect of his involvement with ““Changing Childbirth””. He was such a progressive thinker that he was not allowed to continue to practise. The General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, Karlene Davis, would work closely with the hon. Gentleman. She also works diligently on work force planning and has said how difficult it is to recruit midwives at the moment. We all take that very seriously. It is the duty of us all to praise midwifery and the safety of childbirth in this country, which is indeed one of the safest places for the delivery of babies. Our birth rate is currently increasing, and I believe it nearly always does under a Labour Government. When people are satisfied and feel confident that they will continue to be employed—either within or outside the NHS—they are always happy to increase their families. It is no coincidence when that happens. I hope that some hon. Members will reflect further on some of the words they used, particularly regarding heart disease. Our success rate should only be praised, so I particularly ask the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton) to reflect more on her comments.