Jeremy Hunt denies festive NHS ‘news blackout’

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/18/jeremy-hunt-denies-festive-nhs-news-blackout

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NHS staff should not be forced to work over Christmas to publish A&E waiting time figures, Jeremy Hunt has said, amid claims of a festive “news blackout”.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham insisted it was “simply unacceptable” for the publication of A&E data, including waiting times, to be suspended from tomorrow for three weeks over the “crucial” Christmas period.

But the health secretary accused Labour of caring more about political opportunity than patients, as he said the data was never published during the period.

Asking an urgent question in the Commons, Burnham told Hunt: “Given we know the figures are still being collected, there is absolutely no reason why it should not be published.

“You put a premium on transparency – rightly. So will you today order an end to this news blackout and instruct NHS England to maintain weekly A&E reports.”

But Hunt hit back at the Labour front-bencher: “We have never published figures over the Christmas period because to do so would mean we would have to force NHS staff to work over Christmas when actually otherwise, where it’s possible, we would like them to be able to go home for Christmas just like (MPs).

“Let me ask you this question – when you were health secretary, did you publish any performance figures over Christmas? Did you?

“You didn’t publish them at all. You didn’t publish them at Christmas, you didn’t publish them at Easter, you didn’t publish any weekly A&E figures at all.

“So to come to this House and say this is somehow a news blackout says to me this is someone who is more interested in the political opportunity than in the care for patients.”

The latest figures, published last Friday, showed A&E waiting times had hit record levels.

Burnham brought the health secretary to the Commons to explain the performance of A&E departments and ambulance services and the plans in place to “help them cope” with winter pressures.

Hunt told MPs he chaired his first meeting to prepare for this winter on 17 March.

He said the country’s ageing population has resulted in 350,000 more people over 75 compared with four years ago, which has led to more people turning up in A&E departments and greater levels of sickness among those who attend for treatment.

Hunt said £700m extra funding had been provided, telling MPs: “The winter will be tough but a number of changes made over the last four years will put us in a much stronger position.”

Burnham said: “Winter hasn’t begun in earnest but there are already signs of A&Es and ambulance services stretched to the limit.

“Last week a record number of people waited more than four hours in A&E and on trolleys. Ambulance response times are getting worse across England with some 999 calls taking hours.

“Overnight, news has emerged of an 82-year-old man who waited more than three hours for his ambulance to arrive at his nursing home and then waited a further 19 hours on a trolley in a corridor.

“This is appalling and there are fears that things will get worse when the House is in recess.”