Treasury and Work and Pensions

I am afraid that I will not give way, because other hon. Members wish to take part in the debate. The letter continues:"““I am sure you will not be surprised that we believe we cannot deliver both financial and non-financial targets in 2005/06.""It will be a simple and inevitable consequence of a growing gap between our allocated funding and the monies we need (as defined by the national formula) to meet the needs of our population.””" That was Sir Richard Tilt’s view in August 2005. The crux of the matter is that the Government spend a lot of time, money and effort working out what is a fair level of funding for each PCT based on its needs compared to similar areas across the country. That has been developed so that we have a level playing field across the national health service. As the Secretary of State for Health said in a letter to me and my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) on 25 August 2005:"““A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCT’s target share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health service for populations in similar need.””" I agree entirely with the Secretary of State. That is exactly what should happen in our NHS, but it is not happening in north Northamptonshire and, year after year, we are underfunded. There is no end in sight to this underfunding. In a letter to me, the Secretary of State said:"““Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT will be 3.5 per cent. under target by 2007/8.””" While the gap between what we should get and what we actually get is being closed, we will still not receive what the Government say is our fair and equitable funding. In fact, north Northamptonshire will still be £13.2 million short of its fair share. This lack of funding by the Government is causing the crisis in Wellingborough and the surrounding areas. Let us look at the figures a little more closely and at the funding for north Northamptonshire compared to the national average while bearing in mind that we should be better funded than the national average because of our areas of severe deprivation. Let us just go back three years to 2003-04 when revenue allocations were directly made to primary care trusts for the first time. In 2003-04, the PCT only received 90 per cent. of the funding that it should have had compared with the national average. This was a shortfall of £22.2 million. In 2004-05, we again received only 90 per cent. compared with the national average. This was a shortfall of £24.4 million. Almost unbelievably, in 2005-06, the figure fell to 89 per cent. of the national average, increasing the shortfall to £29.37 million. This year, the shortfall is £20.16 million and, next year, it is predicted to be £15.08 million. This gives a total shortfall since 2003-04 of £11,210,000. If we had had the funding that the Government said we should have had, there would be no crisis in our local health service. The people of Wellingborough and the surrounding areas have suffered because the Government have not implemented their own policy—a policy to bring fairness and a level playing field to what is supposed to be a national health service, not a postcode lottery health service. Let me list some of the cuts that Kettering general hospital has been forced to make in recent weeks and months due to the lack of funding. They include reducing nurse levels to the absolute minimum, making 2,100 patients wait a minimum of five months for their operation, delaying planned second operations such as hip replacements and removing patients from the waiting list for low-priority operations. So apparently the answer to waiting lists is not improved patient care, but is just to tell patients that they can no longer have their operations. Further cuts involve redeploying surplus staff into existing vacancies with little regard to suitability, closing a surgical ward, closing an operating theatre, reducing prescriptions on discharge from 28 to seven days, closing a further medical ward, reducing the availability of consultants, making patients wait longer for treatment in audiology, freezing vacancies, reducing maintenance funding, increasing canteen prices and making nurses pay to park at the hospital. There is, however, one part of Kettering hospital where the patients are not kept waiting, where operations are not delayed and where there is never a complaint about the quality of service. Several months ago, a new day care unit was built in the grounds of the hospital. It has 28 beds, four operating theatres, and a breast cancer screening centre. The unit has never had any adverse statistics recorded against it, and the reason why is that it does not have any patients, doctors or nurses. A brand new unit is sitting empty and the hospital does not know if or when it is going to be able to open it. But there is one part that is open—the typing pool that is paying all the bills to maintain a new, empty, mini-hospital. What my constituents need and what north Northamptonshire desperately needs is a new hospital in the Wellingborough area. A new hospital with minor accident and emergency facilities would ease the massive burden that Kettering and Northampton hospitals face each and every day. I have spoken about formulae; I have spoken about cuts. I now want to convey how these actually affect people in my constituency. Last week, Mrs. James and her son came to visit me at my weekly surgery. Mrs. James had written a long letter about the treatment that her husband received in Northampton general hospital. I want to read a few extracts from that letter. Mrs. James writes:"““I repeatedly pointed out that he was not able to eat. This was in part due to him being unaware of when food and drink was available.""““My son, Ian placed a large notice at the back of Colin’s bed stating he could not see and might need help with eating and drinking. Within a short time a nurse came to see us and said the nurses did not have time to feed patients as there were only four of them and they had thirteen patients.””" I have that rather sad sign with me. Mrs. James continues:"““Having lost approximately a third of his body weight and being severely weakened through lack of food and the dehydration tablets, his poor body could not stand against three infections.""““He begged us to take him out and told us and at least one nurse that he felt he had been dropped into a pit and left to rot. The outcome seems to be not far from this.””" Mr. James died four hours after coming home, as a result of three infections he contracted on the ward. The people in my constituency and in north Northamptonshire deserve a fairer share of the national cake. I am not asking for more than our fair share, just what the Government say we should be getting, but are not. Why should my constituents suffer? This is meant to be a national health service, not a postcode lottery health service. I have two suggestions to improve health care provision in north Northamptonshire and to make it fairer for my constituents. First, I want a guarantee from the Secretary of State for Health that there will be an investigation into the provision of a new hospital in my constituency to coincide with the massive growth in population in the area. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I urge Northamptonshire PCT, and Kettering general and Northampton general hospitals to put patient care first, not Government accountants. I urge them to cease making cuts to patient care and to spend the £111 million that we should have received from the Government through their own capitation formula. The Government have said that we should have had that money for health care in north Northamptonshire. Let us use this funding for better health care provision for the people of my constituency. I challenge the PCT and the local hospitals to stand up against the Government and put the health care of patients first instead of satisfying the accountants in Whitehall. If they do that, they will have my full support.