Labour

Tory manifesto commitment on mixed sex wards in tatters as incidents rise 50% in a year

Theresa May has been accused of abandoning yet another Tory Manifesto commitment as new figures reveal the number of NHS patients in mixed sex wards running 50% higher than this time last year.

New figures published by NHS England today show that hospitals breached mixed sex accommodation rules 1750 times during January and February this year – compared to 1164 in the same period last year

Mixed sex accommodation breaches have gone through the roof since Theresa May took over last July – with 5618 in the 8 months since she became Prime Minister, compared with just 4259 in the whole of 2015.

Ending mixed sex wards was a key pledge of David Cameron’s Government in 2010 and the 2015 Conservative Manifesto included a promise to “continue to eliminate mixed sex wards”.

Labour said today’s figures showed that Theresa May’s decision to restrain NHS spending was pushing hospitals to the brink.

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said:

“Tory cuts to social care have seen hospital attendances rocket and now it seems Theresa May has given up on her manifesto promise to eliminate mixed sex wards. Patients expect dignity and respect when they’re being treated in hospital but this Government is letting them down. The Government has overseen a catastrophic collapse of patient standards and this failure on mixed sex wards is yet another sign that England’s hospitals are at breaking point.

“The Prime Minister needs to get a grip and explain what she is going to do to fix the crisis which she has created. Every day that goes by brings more news of patient care getting worse under this Government. Quite simply the Government’s policy of underfunding and mismanaging the NHS has left hospitals on the brink.”

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Editors notes

·         The Conservative Manifesto 2015 (P37) said: “We will ensure that English hospitals and GP surgeries are the safest in the world, places where you are treated with dignity and respect. We will continue to eliminate mixed-sex wards.”

“Mixed sex wards virtually gone.” Jeremy Hunt, Speech to Conservative Party Conference, 1 October 2013

http://www.ukpol.co.uk/jeremy-hunt-2013-conservative-party-conference-speech/

“The number of hospital-acquired infections continues to go down and mixed–sex wards have been virtually eliminated.”  Jeremy Hunt, Hansard, 23 October 2012

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2012-10-23/debates/12102347000022/NHSCost?highlight=mixed%20sex#contribution-12102347000044

“We said that we would sort out mixed-sex wards and hospital-acquired infections—promise delivered.”

David Cameron, Hansard, 18 March 2015, Column 756

·         Mixed sex accommodation breaches available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/mixed-sex-accommodation/msa-data/

·         There were 1040 breaches in January and 710 in February – a 50% rise on the combined 1164 for the same two months last year.

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, responding to comments from the new independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said:

“This review is welcome. Max Hill makes some good points on removing laws that are never used. We need protection from terrorism, but pointless laws serve no purpose.

“He also highlights the fact certain communities, in particular Muslims, feel unfairly targeted.  This will add to wider concerns around the Government’s Prevent strategy, which should also be reviewed.”

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the Households Below Average Income statistics, said:  

“These statistics show a worrying increase in both poverty and inequality. Four million children and two million older people are now living below the breadline. Those living with a disabled person are more likely than ever to be struggling to make ends meet.

“This is a direct result of this Government’s seven wasted years of austerity and punitive social security cuts.

“The Tories’ shocking failure to tackle the increasing costs of basic essentials, stagnating wages and their ruthless slashing of social security is leaving working families worse off up to 2020.”

“Labour would reverse cuts to in-work support, ban the exploitative zero hours contracts being used on hundreds of thousands of workers, and guarantee a real Living Wage.”

Cat Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, commenting on today’s Electoral Registration Statistics, said:

“While the increase in electoral registration numbers following the EU referendum is welcome, this Tory Government is still not doing enough to ensure that young people are on the register.

“That is why the Lords voted in favour of a Labour motion to the Higher Education and Research Bill, requiring universities to give students the option to register to vote when they sign up at university.

“If the Tories are serious about making every voice matter they need to keep this sensible addition when the Bill comes back to the Commons.”

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Notes to editors:

·       The total number of UK parliamentary electors increased by just over 1 million (2.3%) between December 2015 and December 2016, reflecting the high levels of public engagement with the EU referendum. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration/bulletins/electoralstatisticsforuk/2016  

·       A study from the Electoral Commission in 2014 found that young people were a particularly under-represented group on the electoral register http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/169889/Completeness-and-accuracy-of-the-2014-electoral-registers-in-Great-Britain.pdf

·       Before the Conservatives rushed the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration, students were automatically enrolled by their universities. However, the Electoral Administration Act of 2013 did not provide for a suitable student registration to be put in place when the old system of household registration was abolished.

·       On Monday 7^th March the House of Lords voted in favour of Baroness Royall’s amendment to the Higher Education and Research Bill. The amendment was passed, defeating the Government, by a majority of 200 to 189. The amendment would require universities to offer students the opportunity to register to vote at the point of enrolment or re-registration as a student at their university, a proposal first made by Paul Blomfield MP in the Commons.