Paul Blomfield Former MP for Sheffield Central
Secretary of State Steve Barclay appeared before the Health and Social Care Select Committee this afternoon and I used the opportunity to press three issues that have been raised with me by constituents.
The crisis in mental health provision is partly obscured by the fact that the NHS treatment waiting lists – which currently stand at around 7.2m – don’t include those waiting with mental health issues. So I pressed the Health Secretary to publish those figures – currently around 1.6m – at the same time.
The ongoing industrial action by doctors and nurses is undermining morale and services across the NHS and I raised two specific issues concerning the RCN and the BMA – the non-payment of the lump sum that was part of the recent settlement to nurses not directly employed by the NHS, and the failure to negotiate with doctors over the additional costs they face.
I also pressed him on the way that hospitals are losing money as a result of the rules governing the apprenticeship levy which they are required to pay.
You can watch our exchange below.