At the Opposition Day Debate on Monday 16^th of January in the House of Commons about the role of the private sector in the NHS, Dr Phillip Lee MP for Bracknell defended the NHS by questioning the Rt honorable Andy Burnham whether in his view health care is a commodity and if that meant that everybody should be entitled to its provision.

In line with the threat of the Heatherwood Hospital closure, Dr Phillip Lee MP for Bracknell asked the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the NHS hospital indebtedness.

In response the Minister reassured that the government is taking further steps to identify the individual trusts needs in order to support them to achieve consistent standards of quality and financial sustainability. The Minister of Health, Andrew Lansley, promised an announcement later in the year.

He said: “The national health service is forecasting a healthy surplus for 2011-12. However, the last Government left a legacy of up to six hospital trusts whose private finance initiative payments are a risk to their financial sustainability and up to 24 trusts having such high levels of debt following years of bailouts that they may not meet the tests for their future financial sustainability.”

Dr Lee commented: “ I am reassured the government is taking the necessary steps in saving our local hospitals and is further looking into the support of indebted hospitals such as Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot.”

The full response can be read here

Dr Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell, spoke on Tuesday the 12^th of October 2011 at the Safety Express Coalition Summit & Product Launch on the need for a healthcare system that is sustainable in the future. The event was extremely well attended with over 300 senior NHS staff.

Safety Express addresses common harms including falls, pressure ulcers, catheter use and thrombosis, which occur in all healthcare settings and impact profoundly on patients’ quality of life, collectively affecting over 130,000 patients each year in England alone. Hence, safety express is a safety improvement programme to increase the number of patients that receive ‘harm free care’.

Dr Lee commented: “It is time that we accelerate Quality and Safety Improvement. It was an honour to speak and give away the winning awards for the category ‘Patients at the Helm’ to Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, for ‘Measurement for Improvement’ to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, for ‘Sharing Best Practice ‘to South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and for the category External Engagement with Safety Express’ to the Combined Communications Team from NHS West Midlands, NHS East Midlands and NHS East of England.”

“In my speech I mentioned that it was time that politicians got real about their future health policies. Managing future healthcare demand is the real challenge for my political generation.”

Dr Phillip Lee, as a practising GP and Member of Parliament for Bracknell, and having worked before his election in around 50 GP practices in the Thames Valley, has a deep understanding of the Mental Health services that are offered for the Bracknell area as well as the challenges that any Government faces in providing healthcare into the future.

Understanding the needs and challenges Mental Health provision in this country is facing, Dr Lee, attended the World Mental Health Stand at the Princess Square Shopping Centre, in support of the World Mental Health Day on the 10^th of October 2011, with Mayor, Chris Turrell and Berkshire Healthcare. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services.

Dr Lee commented: “I attended the Mental Health Day to raise public awareness about mental health issues and to show my support for people who suffer from mental health disabilities and people who care for MH patients. I believe that we need to increase investment for mental health and to shift the available resources towards more effective and more humanitarian forms of services.”

A meningitis survivor from Bracknell is calling on his local MP to push for a Men B vaccine (meningococcal group B disease) as he knows first-hand of the devastating effects of the disease. Meningitis and septicaemia are deadly diseases that can strike anyone without warning, killing one in ten, and leaving a quarter of survivors with life-long after effects.

Ewan Ross (31) is supporting Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF)’s campaign ‘Counting the Cost of Meningitis’  which shows the shocking lifelong financial costs of surviving meningitis and septicaemia and is calling on the Government to pursue the widest and earliest implementation of vaccines to prevent the diseases.

Ewan said: “I contracted meningococcal septicaemia whilst at University when I was 19. I was found very ill by cleaning staff at my halls of residence and taken to a local GP surgery where, crucially, I was given a huge dose of penicillin before being taken by ambulance to the local hospitaI. I spent two weeks in hospital before returning home and i know how lucky I am to have made such a recovery against the odds. Looking back the local GP saved my life, as without her quick diagnosis and treatment I wouldn’t have made it to the hospital let alone made it home. I often think back about how lucky I am but with some guilt for those not as lucky as myself. “

One in 10 who contracts the disease – an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord – will die while a quarter of survivors are left with life-altering after effects such as amputations, brain damage, deafness and blindness.

Vaccines for meningitis C, HiB meningitis and for pneumococcal illnesses which include meningitis are already included in the routine jabs given to all children. A jab against meningitis B is currently being developed.

Dr Phillip Lee – has agreed to support the Counting the Cost of Meningitis campaign by asking health secretary Andrew Lansley to include it in the childhood immunisation programme as soon as the vaccine hits the market. Pledging his support to the campaign, Dr Lee said that finding a vaccine for meningitis B had proved problematic.  

He commented: “The development of a meningitis group B vaccine has been very difficult because the bacteria only incites a weak response for the immune system. Despite this, I believe that the vaccine will be available in the near future and therefore I am happy to support the Meningitis Research Foundation Campaign ‘Counting the Cost of Meningitis’ to secure a widespread vaccination programme for meningococcal group B, a dreadful disease that can have such appalling consequences, can be eradicated.”

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