Stephen Kinnock MP: speeches

Speeches

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman will not be surprised to know that I have a section in my speech on employer national insurance contributions. I will get to it. A number of colleagues raised concerns about regional variations. Facts and evidence are very important in that context. To address that issue, NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all the relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners to understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address, and track the improvement of, health inequalities, and to ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  The Government announced a commission on the future of adult social care. A separate commission was announced by my hon. Friend the Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) on palliative care. We will certainly monitor the findings of that commission very closely. We will set out details of the funding allocation and distribution mechanisms for both funding streams in the coming weeks.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  Again, that is on the agenda for discussion with officials. Having inherited a disastrous situation, we are using 2025-26 to stabilise and to try to enable the sector to survive. The hon. Lady will understand that as well as doing that, we are looking at long-term reform solutions, but when we came into power on 4 July, it was one minute to midnight, and we had to rescue the sector. That is what we are doing, and we will look at the long-term issues in due course. A number of Members have raised the concern around employers’ national insurance contributions. Since we came to office in July, we have been completely focused on repairing the catastrophic legacy of 14 years of Conservative neglect and incompetence. The first step was to fix the foundations of the public finances at the autumn Budget, and that enabled the spending review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for our health and care system. Our approach to ENIC exemptions has been consistent with the Office for National Statistics definition and the approach taken by previous Governments. It does not include an exemption for independent contractors, including charities like hospices, although December’s record funding announcement was a clear recognition of our commitment to financially supporting this vital sector more broadly. I ask Opposition Members from all parties who luxuriate in criticising the means by which we have raised the record funding for hospices what they would do. How would they have raised the £22 billion that our autumn Budget delivered? Which taxes would they raise? Which public services would they cut? Answer comes there none. The Government recognise the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, such as hospices, which is why we have more than doubled the employment allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses and charities with ENIC liabilities either gain or see no change next year. While the debate is not about assisted dying, I want to say a word on the matter. My hon. Friend the Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater) put forward her Bill, and it has received its Second Reading. It is vital that our approach to end of life care and patient choice is holistic and driven by an in-depth understanding of patient need. I thank everybody across the House for this excellent debate. Actions speak louder than words. This Government have acted to deliver the biggest financial contribution to hospices in a generation.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  That is precisely the topic of conversation for officials in my Department and NHS England, who are looking at this issue in the round and deciding how we will work. We need a system that empowers ICBs to deliver at the coalface, but we also need accountability from the centre to ensure that things are delivered. Getting the balance right is never easy, as I am sure the hon. Gentleman will understand; that is what we are trying to navigate. Alongside NHS England, my officials and I will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, to understand the issues that they face. In fact, I will meet the major hospices and palliative care stakeholders, including Hospice UK, early next month to discuss potential solutions for longer-term sector sustainability. That will inform our 10-year health plan.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler) for securing the debate and making such a powerful and thoughtful opening speech. I thank hon. Members from across the House—there are too many to list. It would be impossible to capture the richness of the contributions made. Something like 28 Back-Bench Members made speeches—I am sure Madam Deputy Speaker will correct me if my numbers are not quite right. It was an excellent debate, and I thank everybody for their contribution. I thank all those who work or volunteer in the hospice and palliative care sector for the deeply compassionate care and support that they provide to patients, families and loved ones when they need it most. This Government are committed to building a society in which every person receives high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to the end of life. We will shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a vital role to play in that shift. The reality is that we have a mountain to climb. Our health and care services are on their knees, but this Government will strain every sinew to build them, and to create a health and care system that is once again fit for the future. In England, integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local population. To support ICBs in that duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. While the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life, as well as to their loved ones. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations that receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. The variation is dependent on demand in the area, and on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB footprint. We understand the financial pressures that hospices have been facing, which is why last month I was truly proud that this Government announced the biggest investment in hospices in England in a generation. It will ensure that hospices in England can continue to deliver the highest-quality care possible for patients and their families and loved ones.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Mental Health Services · Hansard source

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  We remain absolutely committed to the mental health investment standard. We have prioritised the expansion of NHS talking therapies and individual placement and support schemes, and provided £26 million of capital funding to open new mental health centres. However, we are not complacent on this issue. My hon. Friend spoke about autism assessments, which is a red light that is flashing on my dashboard. I would be happy to discuss that further with her.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Mental Health Services · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend raises an important point, which provides an opportunity for us all to reflect on the incredible work of those working in our health service; they are, in many ways, heroes, and we should absolutely acknowledge that fact. We need to explore the point he has raised—we could meet to discuss it further, or I would be happy to write to him.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Mental Health Services · Hansard source

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  It sounds like there is some interesting, dynamic and innovative work going on in the areas that the hon. Gentleman mentioned. I would be happy to meet him to discuss it further.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Mental Health Services · Hansard source

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  In addition to the measures that I just set out, in the Budget the Chancellor made funding available to expand talking therapies to 380,000 extra patients. We have a £26 million capital investment scheme for mental health crisis centres and, as always with this Government, investment goes with reform. We are finally reforming the Mental Health Act—that was first talked about when Theresa May was in 10 Downing Street. This Government are rolling up their sleeves and getting on with the job.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Mental Health Services · Hansard source

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  As Lord Darzi’s independent investigation found, around 1 million people are waiting to access mental health services in England. This Government will fix our broken mental health services by recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and rolling out young futures hubs in every community.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Counsellors and Psychotherapists · Hansard source

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  As I have said in answers to previous questions, and as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said, there is something of a pattern emerging here: Opposition Members say that they welcome the investment the Government have made, but oppose the revenue-raising measures and refuse to set out whether they would increase taxes or cut services. I still have not heard an answer on that from those Members.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Counsellors and Psychotherapists · Hansard source

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  Counsellors and psychotherapists form an integral part of the NHS mental health workforce, delivering support to people with mental ill health across a range of settings in services for both children and young people and adults. We will publish a refreshed NHS long-term workforce plan to ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places with the right skills to deliver the care that patients need.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Employer National Insurance Contributions: Social Care · Hansard source

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  There is a pattern here. The Conservatives welcome the additional investment in health and care but oppose the choices that we have made to raise the revenue. They need to tell us which services they would cut or which taxes they would raise instead.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Employer National Insurance Contributions: Social Care · Hansard source

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  I refer the hon. Lady to my previous answer on the very substantial funding that we are providing to local authorities, which of course are key to the adult social care system. However, funding must always be married with reform. We have brought forward a packed programme of reform—from data sharing and empowering care workers to take on basic healthcare to promoting better use of care technologies—and in the spirit of cross-party collaboration that we believe is absolutely vital and urgent in this area, I gently encourage her to see those reforms as the first step towards rebuilding our care service and making it fit for the future.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Employer National Insurance Contributions: Social Care · Hansard source

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  This Government will never shy away from taking the choices necessary to fix the public finances and rebuild our public services. It is thanks to those choices that we are able to invest an additional £3.7 billion in 2025-26 in local authorities that provide social care. We are also delivering the biggest uplift to the carer’s allowance since the 1970s, an £86 million uplift to the disabled facilities grant, and a fair pay agreement for care workers.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right to describe the Isle of Wight as a dental desert. That is perhaps one of the reasons why the good people of that island elected a Labour Member for the first time in history. Our ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one. Sadly, 28% of adults in England—13 million people—have an unmet need for NHS dentistry. I would be glad to meet my hon. Friend to learn more about how the experience of the Isle of Wight can improve services nationally.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are making a priority of resuming consultations with the sector to stabilise community pharmacy. Pharmacy First has built on existing services to increase the clinical scope. The conditions treated under Pharmacy First vary across the UK, and the NHS will keep this under review.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I am sure the hon. Lady will welcome the fact that we have found an £86 million uplift for the disabled facilities grant, but on the specific question she raises, I would be happy to meet her and discuss that further.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her excellent question. She is right that it is vital to move services from hospital to community. The Chancellor made funding available for 380,000 more talking therapies for patients and put in place a £26 million capital investment scheme for mental health crisis centres. A lot of work has been done, but there is a lot more still to do.

• 7 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the NHS dental contract simply is not working. We are working with the sector to reform the contract, with a shift to focusing on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. We will deliver on our pledge to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments at the earliest possible opportunity, targeting areas that need them most.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Community Pharmacies: Devon and the South-west · Hansard source

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  It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel Gilmour) for ensuring that this really important debate can take place today. I start by acknowledging and paying tribute to the outstanding work of community pharmacy teams in Devon, the south-west and right across the country. I have heard so many examples, showing just how many patients and communities rely on pharmacy services, and the lengths to which they go to deliver care. I thank them for their professionalism, hard work and dedication in providing excellent standards of patient care. It is a credit to them that surveys show that nine in 10 people who visit pharmacies feel positive about the experience. Community pharmacies are often the most accessible part of our NHS, allowing people to access professional healthcare advice right there on the high street. They are also vital in supporting rural communities and people living in remote locations. Furthermore, as community pharmacies provide more clinical services, they help to relieve pressure in other areas of the NHS. That includes freeing up GP appointments, preventing hospital admissions and reducing overall pressure on secondary care. For far too long, however, Governments have failed to recognise the essential role of community pharmacies in safeguarding the nation’s health. On 4 July, we inherited a system that has been starved of funding, with a 28% cut in funding in real terms. In many ways, it is on its knees, with far too many closures happening across the country. Lord Darzi’s report laid bare the true extent of the challenges facing our health service. Even he, with all his years of experience, was truly shocked by what he discovered. His report was vital, because it gave us a frank assessment—a diagnosis—so that we can face the problems honestly and properly. It will take a decade of national renewal, lasting reform and a long-term plan to save our NHS. We have committed to three key shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. Our 10-year plan will set out how we will deliver these shifts to ensure that the NHS is fit for the future. To develop the plan, we must have a meaningful conversation with the country and those who work in the system. We are therefore conducting a comprehensive range of engagement activities, bringing in views from the public, the health and care workforce, national and local stakeholders, system leaders and parliamentarians. I urge Members, their constituents, and staff across health and social care to tell us what is working and what needs to change. They should visit change.nhs.uk and make their voice heard. The Government are committed to restoring the NHS to its founding promise that it will be there for all of us and our constituents when we need it. However, as identified by Lord Darzi’s review, primary care is under massive pressure and in crisis. I recognise that it is a really challenging environment for colleagues in all parts of the NHS, including in community pharmacy, but we remain resolute and determined to fix this situation. Pharmacies are based in, and are a key part of, the communities that they serve. They are ideally placed to help to tackle inequalities and to increase the reach of and access to NHS services. This includes delivering a range of health advice and support services, helping to relieve pressure on and improve access to the wider NHS. Community pharmacies are a vital part of our NHS that must be recognised in the development of the Government’s 10-year plan. They are central to the three big shifts in healthcare that I outlined earlier. I know that pharmacies can and should play an even greater role in providing healthcare on the high street. This will be imperative if we are to deliver across the Government’s mission—not just on the health mission, but on growth and opportunity. A healthy society and workforce are pre-conditions for prosperity and growth. We have a staggering 2.9 million people who want to work, but are unable to do so because they have been failed by our health and care system for the last 14 years. Community pharmacy has a pivotal role to play in getting our economy back on its feet and fit for the future, whether that is by identifying those with risk factors for disease such as high blood pressure, or ensuring that people can access and use their medicines to best effect. As a Government, we are fully committed to working with the sector to achieve what we all want: a community pharmacy service that is fit for the future. I am keen to unlock the potential of the whole pharmacy team. We want pharmacists to be providing new and impactful clinical services, including our future pharmacies prescribing service. We want pharmacy technicians to have more responsibility in supporting the pharmacists, to help people to deliver the best possible health outcomes. Every day, pharmacy teams facilitate the safe supply of medicines to patients, enabling them to manage health conditions as part of their daily lives in Devon, the south-west and right across the country. They also provide vital advice on prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and minor ailments. But pharmacies do not just dispense medicines and offer advice. They do much more. They positively impact patients’ health and support the wider NHS by providing a wide range of clinical services. Many offer blood pressure checks, flu or covid-19 vaccinations, contraception consultations and many more locally commissioned services.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Community Pharmacies: Devon and the South-west · Hansard source

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  I thank the shadow Minister for that intervention. I am as frustrated as everybody else about the delay. The reason for the delay is that the negotiations did not get over the line before the general election. The general election came, and we have spent a lot of time now clearing up the disastrous mess that the previous Government made of the system. I can say that we are now very focused on getting these negotiations started early in the new year. I know that hon. Members across the House will be very interested in that, in terms of the contractual framework, the medicines margin and all of the funding. We have a statutory duty to consult with the sector before we can make any announcement, but we are confident that we will start the negotiations early in the new year. We supported Pharmacy First in opposition, and we will build on that programme in the future. We look to create an independent prescribing service, where prescribing is an integral part of the services delivered by community pharmacies. We are also doing a lot of work on the IT infrastructure to make sure that the sector can more easily prescribe and refer through better IT. That is an important part of our shift from analogue to digital. We need pharmacies delivering services that help patients to access advice, prevention and treatment more easily—services that help people to make best use of the medicines they are prescribed and that ease some of the pressures in general practice and across parts of the NHS. There are more than 10,000 pharmacies in England. They are busy dispensing medicines, offering advice and providing these services. Patients across the country can also choose to access around 400 distance-selling pharmacies that deliver medicines to patients’ homes free of charge. They play a vital role in reaching the most isolated members of our society. I am very keen to ensure that the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead has a minute at the end of the debate to sum up. In the short time I have, I want to say a couple of words about her constituency, where there are 15 pharmacies. We are aware of the closure of one pharmacy in her constituency since 2017 and that the local population instead get their medicines from the neighbouring dispensing GP. I also note that, according to the latest data, there are 203 pharmacies in Devon; across the south-west, there are 916. Where closures have occurred across the south-west, the ICBs are working through the process of approving applications from new contractors. Some applications have already been granted. Following approval, the new pharmacy contractor has 12 to 15 months in which to open a pharmacy, so the ICBs are also working with GP practices and other contractors to minimise any temporary disruption for patients. Community pharmacies are a vital part of the NHS and communities across our country. The Government are committed to supporting them now and into the future. I look forward to working with pharmacists across the country and hon. Members across this House as we progress our plans to embrace the skills, knowledge and expertise in pharmacy teams.

• 11 Dec 2024 · Dental Healthcare: East Anglia · Hansard source

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  I was just going to say that we are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients. We are working on this as a matter of urgency. I cannot give a specific timeframe, but it is a top priority for the Department.

• 11 Dec 2024 · Dental Healthcare: East Anglia · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham (Jerome Mayhew) for securing this vital debate on dental healthcare provision in East Anglia, and I thank hon. Members on both sides of the House for their important interventions. The debate follows hot on the heels of a debate on 3 September that my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis) led on healthcare provision in the east of England. We know that huge swathes of the region are dental deserts. These areas are facing great pressures from challenges in the recruitment and retention of dentists, leaving patients struggling to access the NHS dental treatments that they need. As has been pointed out, it is a scandal—frankly, it is Dickensian—that the No. 1 reason for children aged five to nine to be admitted to hospital in our country in 2024 is to have rotten teeth removed. Norfolk and Waveney integrated care board had 31.5 dentists per 100,000 of the population in 2023-24, which is the lowest number in England. That is why I have met with colleagues from the east of England, including the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham, to discuss the specific challenges in the region and to discuss the University of East Anglia’s plans to open a dental school. The UEA’s proposal to begin training dental students is very welcome news. As I said to all the colleagues I met recently, and to the hon. Gentleman at oral questions last month, the Government strongly encourage the UEA to continue its progress towards establishing a dental school by submitting its bid to the General Dental Council as rapidly as possible. The independent Office for Students is another key player. It has statutory responsibility for allocating funded training places to dental schools. As the hon. Gentleman has pointed out, the OfS is independent from the Government. I cannot make specific commitments about allocating additional training places for future years, because to do so would be to cut across the independence of the OfS. The OfS makes decisions based on its own assessments, following guidance issued by Government. What I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that our guidance is influential, but I cannot guarantee its outcome. The guidance for the 2026 academic year will be published in due course. Provided that the UEA meets those requirements, it would absolutely be considered for Government-funded dental training places. That would certainly help to retain local dentists in East Anglia. As a Member for a rural constituency, I absolutely understand how important that is to the hon. Gentleman and to the many other hon. Members present who represent his part of the country. We also need a clear-headed diagnosis of where we are. It is beyond doubt that NHS dentistry was left in an appalling state of disrepair by the previous Government. As the Prime Minister said last week, the precious contract between the state and the British people has been broken. He rightly said that our public services are “in crisis, unable to perform their basic functions” and that they are “unable to provide the timely care and dignity that Britain relies on”. Almost five years on from the beginning of the pandemic, NHS dentistry has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Only 40% of adults were seen by an NHS dentist in the 24 months to June this year, down from almost 50% before the pandemic. Although 34 million courses of dental treatment were delivered in England in 2023-24, that is down from almost 40 million courses five years ago. As I say, it is disgraceful that having rotten teeth removed is the single most common cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine, causing them untold pain and suffering and affecting their ability to sleep, speak and socialise. On the subject of the general state of dentistry, I thank the National Audit Office for its recent investigation of the previous Government’s dental recovery plan. Its report lays out in black and white something that was already apparent to millions of people across the length and breadth of our country: the dental recovery plan that we inherited did not go far enough. We are reflecting on every line of the NAO report as part of our efforts to rebuild dentistry, get it back on its feet and make it fit to serve people of all ages. We have launched the largest ever national conversation to inform our 10-year plan to reform the NHS, and our workforce will play a central role, because they are key to unlocking improvements across our communities. The golden hello scheme offers dentists £20,000 to work in underserved areas of the country for three years. The recruitment process is well under way, with posts being filled by dentists in those areas as we speak. As of 7 November, 64 posts had been advertised. Our manifesto pledged 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and we are working to ensure that patients can start to access them as soon as possible. They will be targeted at the areas that need them most. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions, but for years dentistry has faced chronic workforce shortages. We have to be honest that bringing in the staff we need will take time. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract with a shift to focusing on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. There are no perfect payment systems, and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system, so that we deliver a system that is better for patients and the profession.

• 11 Dec 2024 · Dental Healthcare: East Anglia · Hansard source

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  I share the hon. Lady’s belief that we need urgency and focus. We have a big mountain to climb, but we have to crack on. I completely take her point about the need for urgency. We need to ensure that the process to register a dentist in the UK is as efficient and fast as possible, while retaining robust safeguards for patient protection. The Department regularly engages with the General Dental Council to understand what it is doing to improve the waiting times for the overseas registration exam. Earlier this year, the Department ran a consultation on introducing a further piece of legislation to give the GDC powers to provisionally register overseas qualified dentists, which will help to address some of the workforce challenges. In summary, this is an immense challenge. There are no quick fixes or easy answers, but we will choose change, not because it is easy but because it is what we have to do. We have to do the hard yards, and I look forward to working with the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham and other colleagues to deliver what is needed. Question put and agreed to.