Today in Parliament, Lucy Allan MP raised the importance of patient safety in the NHS Funding Bill.
Lucy noted that Telford's experience of the Future Fit Proposals should inform the Department for Health and Social Care's funding allocations. Whilst Shropshire has received significant capital investment for its health services, the residents of Telford have not seen improvements in their health outcomes. The Government's focus on levelling up public services is welcome, Lucy explained, but that this must come hand-in-hand with the correct allocation of funding where it is needed most.
Lucy raised her concerns about the unaccountability of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to their communities, often taking little notice of residents' views. In Telford, this has resulted in the proposal to strip the Princess Royal Hospital of its A&E and its women's and children's services, with them being transferred to another community 20 miles away which is significantly more affluent and has better health outcomes.
In her speech, Lucy again petitioned the government to reconsider the future fit proposals and ensure that patients, and not CCGs, are the key beneficiaries of capital investment.
You can read Lucy's speech in Hansard at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-02-04/debates/A3B1554C-FB48-4F9B-A6EA-B78AD05D0E02/NHSFundingBill#contribution-7A6AEE26-10C7-43B1-9AF2-AF541D26CB47
