NHS Services (Hertfordshire)

I congratulate not only the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) but all hon. Members who have spoken so emphatically about their fears for their services. I shall not comment in detail on the local circumstances—I defer to their greater knowledge on that subject—but I shall make some general remarks, as the issues affecting Hertfordshire emphasise some familiar themes and common problems that occur elsewhere. The hon. Gentleman originally drew to our attention two problems. One was the problem of underfunding, which seems to affect all services across the piece, and the other was the problem of hospital reconfiguration, with the hospital trusts having substantial deficits, in excess of £20 million. The Government’s response to deficits is usually that trusts should get a grip and balance the books, which of course always travels with a presupposition that we already have a fair formula across areas and even within areas, between institutions. However, I see no evidence that we have yet arrived at that state. There is also another common phenomenon in Hertfordshire, which is that of a number of smallish hospitals in clusters, with pressures on all services.