MPs critical of NHS leaders after ‘disappointing’ evidence session

MPs have expressed “frustration” over “lengthy and diffuse answers” given by senior health leaders as they were challenged over NHS performance.

The chair of the Health and Social Care committee said that MPs were left “disappointed” after Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, and other senior health officials gave evidence on Wednesday.

The appearance comes as a damning report about senior health officials was published.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded that NHS and Department of Health officials are complacent and “out of ideas” when it comes to transforming the health service for patients.

Ms Pritchard was quizzed about the report on Wednesday morning during a two-hour evidence session before MPs.

After her appearance, Health and Social Care committee chair Layla Moran, said: “This morning’s evidence session was an opportunity for NHS leadership to prove their drive and dynamism.

“Regrettably, we were left disappointed and frustrated.

“We had hoped for a sharpness in witnesses’ responses, but were exasperated by the lengthy and diffuse answers that were given to us and will be writing to them to seek the clarity that we expected to hear in the evidence session.”

Ms Pritchard told MPs that there were “factual inaccuracies” in the PAC report, adding: “I would like to say NHS England is absolutely not complacent about productivity, and it is completely wrong to suggest otherwise.”

She added: “There is no shortage of fresh thinking in the NHS.”

Ms Pritchard was also quizzed about medical misogyny.

She admitted that there is a “big cultural challenge” in the NHS and the service “doesn’t always have the needs of women at its heart”.

But she insisted that women’s health is a “priority” for the health service in England.

“Can I first say I agree with you on misogyny – I think we’re really clear that there is a big cultural challenge within the NHS, and the work of the committee has been really helpful in shining a light on that,” she said.

Ms Pritchard said that the NHS has largely been built by men and “doesn’t always have, I think, the needs of women at its heart”.

It comes as health leaders faced criticism over plans to slimline a number of national targets for the health service.

The NHS’s annual planning guidance, which sets out the key priorities for hospitals and community services, is due to be published on Thursday.

Reports suggest that one of the 2024-25 pledges, which called for a women’s health hub to be established in each region by December 2024, will not be renewed in the 2025-26 guidance.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said that the hubs – which have been established in 39 out of 42 local health regions – have had a “transformational impact”.

In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, RCOG said: “If the Government fails to recommit to women’s health hubs, we fear this will result in a deterioration in women’s health and services, an exacerbation of health inequalities and a missed opportunity to support economic growth.”

MPs on the Committee were told that certain ring-fenced funding would be scrapped in the planning guidance to give local health leaders more freedom to decide how to deliver care.

Ms Pritchard said: “So, there is a bit of tension here because, quite understandably, there is a desire to see particular things that people care about written into national guidance, and often to see ring-fenced funding around that.

“Just because something isn’t written in planning guidance doesn’t mean it’s not important and it doesn’t mean the work won’t happen.

“One example, because it’s been in the media in the last couple of days, women’s health … women’s health is a priority for the Government. It is a priority for the NHS.”

She added: “We’re not going to stop caring about all these things or stop working on them, whether or not there is something explicit written in planning guidance.”

Meanwhile, NHS England chief financial officer Julian Kelly was asked by MPs how much of the £10.6 billion funding increase will be taken up with increasing costs.

He said if the staff pay settlement is in line with evidence to the Pay Review Body of a 2.8% pay settlement, that would cost about £3.8 billion, while inflation will take £1.9 billion pounds and the cost of new treatments already in the pipeline about £500 millon.

A new funding settlement for GPs is about £800 million, plus there are other costs, he said.

“So, that is where this year, the real focus has been on us working out what we reprioritise within NHS England, what we can do in terms of reducing our own costs, plus, clearly, there is not a lot of new investment that will be going into new transformation programmes because we can’t afford it.”

He told MPs that there would be a focus on productivity.

An NHS spokesperson said: “We have the utmost respect for Parliament and its institutions. Our interactions with the Health and Social Care Committee have always been open, constructive and honest – and we take public accountability incredibly seriously.

“Tomorrow – as agreed with government – we will be issuing our planning guidance setting out our next steps and targets, meaning we could not share as much information with the committee as we would have liked.

“We agreed in the committee to share any additional detail as required, and we stand ready to meet with MPs and give evidence to parliamentary committees.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care added: “We have rolled out women’s health hubs to nine in every 10 local areas in England, and we are not closing them.

“This Government inherited an NHS where half of women wait more than 18 weeks for gynaecological care, women wait up to 10 years for an endometriosis diagnosis, half of maternity units are inadequate or require improvement.

“Women have been let down by the broken NHS for too long and we are determined to change that.

“Through our investment and reforms, we will make sure the NHS can be there for all woman when they need it.”