Speeches by Beales.

“Lord Darzi said in his review of the NHS that “urgent action is needed to develop a contract that balances activity and prevention” and “is attractive to dentists”. Do you think that the action you are taking does that?”

“Do you have any evidence of what the financial costs are of not reforming the dentistry system? Have you any modelling about that? I think Healthwatch colleagues talked about 30,000 children being admitted to hospital. The financial cost of inaction seemed to be significant, too. Have you any data about that?”

“Both need to happen in parallel with the current tweaks, which it seems you broadly support.”

“Hello, everyone. I am Danny Beales, MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. My question is for the BDA. You said that the changes proposed are small and modest. You mentioned the need for more fundamental reform, and the fact that the pace is too slow. We have heard quite powerfully from Healthwatch about the implications o…”

“So it is fundamentally a question of funding. You have talked about the CSR for this Government, but from what this Committee has seen, including from the Public Accounts Committee, and from what you have all submitted in evidence, significant contract reform has not happened for more than a decade, if not longer. Do y…”

“That is not possible now. Most trusts do not have access to community care records. At the moment, that does not happen. If you turn up at A&E, they can’t say, “You saw the mental health services in Northumberland, and that’s what they prescribed you.” That doesn’t work now. There is a risk for people with complex and …”

“Patient-led, so they would be able to decide?”

“I have two quick points. On the point about contracting, do you currently look at the exposure across Government, the reliance across Government, of your contractors, the competitive environment and the market share that they might have? Is diversifying the market share of data and digital a key consideration around co…”

“There are broader lessons that I suppose you have learned. This is not the first digital transformation in the NHS that has been promised. A major NHS contract in the noughties was overspent and under-delivered. Even more recently, for organisations like the CQC, for instance, one of the main drivers behind its failure…”

“If that happens, do you think that there is a risk that we will lean more on the private sector and contractual relationships such as those that we heard about in the previous discussion with Palantir, and that we will get locked into contracts, perhaps bad contracts, if we do not have that expertise?”

“Amy, perhaps you could give a local perspective on implementation.”

“So I can take it as a yes from your perspective, nationally.”

“Is capacity being protected for digital at local and national level?”

“To challenge that point, the centre is getting smaller but ICBS are having to reduce their headcount by 50%. A lot of trusts are being directed to frontline-focus on resource, which often means management being cut, and digital usually sits within an operational capacity. Is there a risk that at every level the capacit…”

“It is good to hear that you are happy with what you wrote. In implementing it, there is an underlying significant reform and shift. We have heard previously about the shift of NHSX and NHS Digital into NHS England. NHS England is now ceasing to exist. ICBs are being merged; accountable care organisations are being set …”

“Thank you, Chair. The NHS 10-year plan is incredibly significant for digital transformation. It is one of the three major shifts in reforming the NHS and fixing some of the underlying issues. In terms of the published 10-year plan, could you outline your perspective? Is it as ambitious on digital transformation as you …”

“And on market competitiveness and exposure to contracts across Government?”

“Is their market exposure always assessed in contracting?”

“I rise to discuss services for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities in Hillingdon. Approximately 1.3 million people in England have a learning disability. If we include those with learning difficulties, that figure is even higher. Yet too often our services, education system, NHS, workplaces and society a…”

“I concur completely with my right hon. Friend. We have both met those affected, their loved ones and their families, and we can really hear and see the value. Unfortunately, that value was not considered in the rushed decision made by the councillors—I will turn to the lack of consultation very soon, and I completely a…”