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Health and Social Care Bill

Before the Minister sits down, I wanted to draw to her attention why we think that it is so important that the Care Quality Commission looks at the subsequent action of a PCT, for example, after a budget allocation for a specific use. It has been brought to my attention recently that £14 million was allocated for contraceptive services to the primary care trusts. It was not ring-fenced. No targets were attached and it was used by some primary care trusts to make up their deficits, even though we know that contraceptive services are deteriorating and doctors and nurses are no longer able to find training to do the work because of the closure of clinics. It is assumed that the GPs do this work, but most of them cannot train and they have not done any training for long-acting reversible contraceptives. Patients therefore no longer have the choice of contraceptive they used to. So it is terribly important that, when budgets are allocated for a specific use but not ring-fenced, the Care Quality Commission goes back and ensures that they have been used for that purpose.