As a member of the Health Select Committee, Helen Whately MP took part in the committee’s first public session of the new Parliament, where members of the committee had the opportunity to ask questions of NHS England Chief Executive, Simon Stephens, NHS Medical Director, Sir Bruce Keogh and Chief Nursing Officer England, Jane Cummings.
The Health Select Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department of Health and its associated bodies. Tuesday’s session focused on a variety of matters, including the financial performance of the NHS, prevention and public health, the NHS workforce and staffing and urgent and emergency care.
Helen’s questions were focused on: productivity improvement in the NHS, particularly around achieving the £22 billion savings envisioned in the Five Year Forward View; the leadership steering the NHS to make the scale of changes required; mental health care and parity of esteem in healthcare; and how Vanguard sites like Whitstable Medical Practise, which serves many residents of Faversham and Mid Kent, will engage with the public on both their objectives and how successful they are.
