Last week, the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting MP, laid out the findings of Lord Darzi’s review into the performance of the NHS in Parliament. This is the first opportunity that MPs have had to debate the issue in the Commons.
Many members understandably raised their concerns about the state of general practice, notably the lack of GPs and therefore appointments for their constituents. Mr Streeting stated that it would take time to rebuild general practice.
Agreeing with his Labour colleague, Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, Mr Streeting vowed to deliver a neighbourhood health service as much as a national health service to ensure primary care resources are better utilised to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, as identified in the report.
The Shadow Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins MP, bemoaned the Government’s decision to undertake the Darzi review, stating a cross-party review would have been a better solution. Ms Atkins did concede that the NHS was in need of reform and had consistently said so while in government, but criticised Lord Darzi’s review as a ‘backward-looking’ review which will not improve productivity.
The Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP, called the Darzi report ‘shocking’ but was unsurprised by the findings. Ms Morgan noted the need for improved primary care services, including mental health care, a reduction in waiting lists, and a solution to social care issues.
Valerie Vaz MP, former Health Committee member, stated that the Darzi report was a unique opportunity to reset the NHS, while Conservative MP, Neil Shastri-Hunt, agreed that the hospital-centric model which dominates the NHS is outdated with a shift to community-based care required as affirmed in the report.
