§ 5. Mr. Favellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further plans he has for the better use of manpower in the National Health Service.
§ Mr. FowlerWe are continuing to build upon the success already achieved in improving the use of National Health Service manpower to provide a better service to patients. This is part of a continuing process to improve the use of NHS manpower, and the proportion of staff working directly with patients increased from 58 per cent. in 1978 to 63 per cent. in 1985.
§ Mr. FavellMy right hon. Friend is to be congratulated on the great strides that he has made in the contracting out of laundry and catering services. However, what plans does he have for contracting out medical services, especially where a health authority has long waiting lists and the private sector can provide a better and cheaper service than the health authority?
§ Mr. FowlerI have no plans of the sort that my hon. Friend puts forward. However, we are in favour of there being the maximum co-operation between the National Health Service and the private sector.
§ Mr. KennedyDoes the Secretary of State accept the analysis of the increases in nursing manpower levels which was presented in last night's "Panorama" programme. which showed that his claims, when analysed in depth, display a contraction of the degree of nursing available for patient care? If he does not accept that analysis, does he intend to take "Panorama" to court?
§ Mr. FowlerI am not sure that the opportunity of taking "Panorama" to court arises, but I do not accept the statement as it has been repeated by the hon. Gentleman. Since 1978, almost 63,000 more nurses and midwives have been employed within the NHS.
§ Mr. Beaumont-DarkDoes my right hon. Friend accept that although we agree that 66,000 more nurses and 22,000 more doctors have entered the Health Service over the past few years, hospital beds are being closed and our letter bags become fuller and fuller of complaints about delayed operations? Is it possible that hospital manpower is directed too much towards administration and not enough towards nursing? Is it not time that patients had more say in the matter than those who run the service?
§ Mr. FowlerI have much sympathy with my hon. Friend's final point. The proportion of manpower involved in direct patient care—in nursing and so forth —has increased, not decreased. That is the emphasis of the manpower policy.
§ Mr. DobsonIn view of the "Panorama" programme last night and other evidence throughout the country that doctors are having to spend a vast amount of their time finding beds for patients who need them, would not the Minister's plans for the better use of manpower be more useful if he ensured that doctors are able to do the job for which they have been trained, which is curing patients, rather than undertaking the administrative task of finding beds and operating theatres to enable them to cope with patients' needs?
§ Mr. FowlerThe hon. Gentleman knows that record numbers of in-patients are currently being treated within the Health Service, and hundreds of thousands more than were treated under the previous Labour Government.