HC Deb 20 January 2004 vol 416 cc1197-8
2. Angela Watkinson (Upminster) (Con)

What measures he is taking to improve access to speech therapy services. [148785]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr. Stephen Ladyman)

The number of speech and language therapists employed in the national health service has increased by 22 per cent. since 1997, and the number of people in training has increased by 31 per cent. since 1999–2000. These are significant improvements on the very difficult position that the Government inherited, and we are driving further improvements by encouraging service re-design, by developing joint working between health and education, and by developing the roles of support staff to make the best use of professional skills.

Angela Watkinson

I thank the Minister for that reply, but he may be interested to know that the Barking and Dagenham primary care trust has found it impossible to recruit speech therapists for a number of years, so it is quite unable to meet the demand. What hope can he extend to my constituents Mr. and Mrs. Handley for their son Ross, and Mr. and Mrs. Mee for their daughter Courtenay? Their children are simply not receiving the speech therapy that they so desperately need.

Dr. Ladyman

I should point out that although Barking and Dagenham may currently be having problems—I would be the first to admit that things are not yet as good as I would like them to be—the situation is a lot better than it was in 1997, thanks to the fact that there are now 1,090 more speech therapists working in this country, and thanks to the 32 per cent. increase in training places. As a result, there is hope that the hon. Lady's constituents will, in future, be able to find the speech and language therapy that they need.

John Cryer (Hornchurch) (Lab)

I represent a constituency in the London borough of Havering—the same borough as the hon. Member for Upminster (Angela Watkinson). It is true that there is a shortage of speech therapists going back some years, particularly in outer London. That shortage is certainly connected to the high cost of living in the south-east. I recognise what my hon. Friend says about the increase in training provision and in the number of speech therapists, but can something be done to address this specific problem in the south-east, where the cost of living affects the recruitment of speech therapists?

Dr. Ladyman

My hon. Friend has made a very constructive suggestion that the local primary care trust certainly needs to explore. We are looking at service design and at different ways of working to improve the efficiency with which we use speech and language therapists. We are also looking at the use of support workers to achieve better value for money from speech and language therapists, but my hon. Friend's suggestion about the efforts in which the PCT ought to be engaging is a very constructive one.

Mr. Boris Johnson (Henley) (Con)

Speech therapy is among the many services provided by the head injuries unit at the Townlands hospital, in Henley. How is it possible, at a time when this Government are allegedly pumping umpteen billions into the NHS, that it should be seriously contemplated that that hospital close? Will the Minister do everything in his power to live up to his Government's promises and stop the closure of this valued and much-loved local hospital?

Dr. Ladyman

The reconfiguration of hospital services, as the hon. Gentleman perfectly well knows, is a matter for local decision. We have devolved these matters to local areas so that local people can be involved in local decisions. If I were in a position to ask the hon. Gentleman the sort of question that he has just asked me, I would ask him how many speech and language therapists there would be if we carried out his plans to cut spending by 20 per cent.