00:00The Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Helen Morgan.
00:03Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Strasbourg and Telford Hospital Trust has seen some of
00:07the longest waiting lists in the country for cancer and for A&E, among other areas, and
00:13they've been receiving national mandated support from NHS England's recovery support programme.
00:18NHS England also provides improvement to support to hospital trusts struggling with excessive
00:22waiting lists through its Getting It Right First Time programme. Given the announcement
00:27to abolish NHS England, will the Secretary of State reassure my constituents that there
00:32will be continued support for hospital trusts, like Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust,
00:36with unacceptable waiting times and a clear pathway to improvements for patients who deserve
00:41better?
00:42Yes, Mr Speaker, is the short answer to that question. Removing the duplication, the waste
00:49and efficiency that comes with having effectively two head offices for the NHS will lead to
00:56better, more effective and streamlined decision making, but that won't in any way detract
01:00from the support that the Honourable Member describes. In fact, we should see more support
01:05and crucially more investment going to the frontline as a result of the savings, the
01:09efficiencies and the improvements we're making.
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