Live webchat with Andy Burnham, Shadow Health Secretary: home births, Mumsnet miscarriage campaign and more, TODAY, Wednesday November 16, 11.45am-12.45pm

[RowanMumsnet]

We're very pleased to announce that Andy Burnham will be joining us for a webchat on Wednesday lunchtime between 11.45 and 12.45.

Andy is MP for Leigh, and was Secretary of State for Health during the last year of the Labour government; he is now Shadow Secretary of State for Health in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet, and as such is Labour's leading spokesperson on the changes being made to the NHS and other health issues.

He is spending Wednesday morning giving a keynote speech to the Royal College of Midwives' annual conference in Brighton, during which he's going to focus on giving women the right to choose where to give birth, with the aim of encouraging more home births.

He's also open to questions about Labour's health record (including what they got wrong) and his support for the Mumsnet Campaign for Better Miscarriage Care - along with anything else you'd like to ask about.

Do join us for the webchat. As ever, if you can't make it, please post up your advance questions here.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Crumblemum - thanks for your question. I genuinely believe that the Government's Bill will end the NHS as we've known it. By moving away from a national system, it will bring a huge postcode lottery. By abolishing the cap on the amount of private work hospitals can do, and relaxing NHS waiting times, it will mean NHS patients waiting longer again. The NHS does not need structural reform, it needs service reform (i.e. more treatment provided in the community and the patients home, and less in hospital)

ohmeohmy - Please go to dropthebill.com and sign the petition. It is still possible to stop these damaging changes but it means sending the loudest possible message to David Cameron. He needs to be reminded, in no uncertain terms, of his promise of "no top-down reorganisation"

Hello, Andy
I'm really worried about the use of private companies in the NHS as a user and as a member staff. Espally if a untoward incident occurred. What measures are in place and do you think they enough???

EW
( yay I made it)

Hi Andy, I have the pleasure of close contact with health professionals all over the world, and get to spend time in hospitals (not as a patient) in a wide variety of countries. Universally, they consider the NHS to be a good system, and they admire what NICE is doing.

Do you think though, that more needs to be done at the highest level to implement cost savings through bulk buying, negotiated buying, and stopping the financial lunacy that has been PFI. The NHS should be able to negotiate amazing deals as such a huge entity, yet leaves it to each hospital to buy things themselves.

Piffle - you're right, the NHS is brilliant. I'm pleased it's been there for you and your family. P.S. Thanks for your support in the leadership election, that puts you in a small select band!

Andy - I have to go to Wigan for work (NHS in fact) next week. Where's the best place to stop for a Pie Barm?

Suckit - Andy is a Leyther - they're not Pie Eaters - they're Lobby Gobblers!

Don't confuse the two on your visit to Wigan.

Where are you visiting? I'm at WWL HQ.

architien - my sister-in-law had a home birth recently and whilst it was a bit touch-and-go for a moment, as my brother was trying to get hold of the midwife, they ended up having a brilliant experience.

All mums to be should be able to have a clear expectation that they can have a home birth if it is advised and they want it. But we can only do that by recruiting more midwives, because of the staff needed. This is a classic example of how investment upfront, saves money on expensive hospital treatment in the long run.

I was born at home, but I'll leave it to you to judge what effect that had on me!

SuckItAndSee - there's a brilliant sticker doing the rounds in the back of cars in our area at the moment. It says "Security notice - no pies left in this vehicle overnight".

I'm reliably informed by my Wigan-based colleagues that Poole's Pies are the best although this is a hugely controversial statement.

Andy- I voted for you in the leadership election too!

As a Catholic, what's your view on abortion provided on the NHS?

Evilwater - all politicians need to think carefully about the Southern Cross situation and learn the lessons. The needs of vulnerable people using essential public services, like hospitals and care homes, cannot be subject to the whims of the market.

Andy, I'm totally agree with you. However could you make sure the current health minster understands this!

Huge thanks
EW

CMOTdibbler - I think you make a good point. The Public Accounts Committee recently found huge scope for more joint buying in the NHS, but it warned that the Government's drive towards a fragmented market, with hospital pitted against hospital, would lead to less collaboration. I am a firm believer in the "one NHS" approach.

Hello Andy - thanks for coming.

I've got two questions. Firstly, have you signed the Mumsnet Miscarriage Care EDM?!

Secondly, which of the Tory plans for the NHS most disturbs you and why?

Youremindmeofthebabe - you make some really good points. Yesterday I shadowed a midwife of many years experience in inner London and she told me of her real fears about cuts in training places. This seems to be happening around the country. Already, it is difficult to offer home births and this will make the situation far worse. If they don't act to stop this the Government will have a real problem. People will remember the promises made by David Cameron on more midwives pre-election, but the reality is things are heading in reverse right now.

Swedes2 - maybe it's Maybeline!

Glad you believe in that - but would you agree that when Labour were in power they did an awful lot to pit hospital against hospital, and nothing to implement joint buying. And allowed PFI to continue apace, which may bankrupt PCTs

Hi Andy, I am currently helping to promote awareness of the number of Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths that occur every day in our country - 17 per day, thats over 6000 per day - so over 6000 families per year have to experience the heartbreaking loss of their baby. The RCM are campaigning for 5000 more NHS midwives to be employed in England and we are very much behind them and actively promoting their petition - our page can be found on Facebook - SAVE Our Maternity Service. The RCM, ourselves and many, many others believe that our maternity care is no longer safe - midwives are currently stretched between upto 3 labouring women at a time, things are being missed and mothers and babies lives are being put at risk. What I want to know is - Will you back the campaign for More Midwives? - we are working so hard to promote it and have contacted the Labour Party on a number of occassions now to ask for support and help but have had no response whatsoever.

Thanks

Louise

Hi Andy - can you confirm your opinion of the proposed Public Sector pension reforms, and particularly the major impact they will have on thousands of NHS workers? Also your opinion of the day of action on 30th November?

Hello Andy. I see you're open to questions about what Labour got wrong on the NHS - so, what do you think Labour got wrong? (Personally I think it got a lot right, but surely in retrospect the opening up of the NHS to other providers isn't looking too clever, and makes it harder for Labour to oppose the NHS changes?)

Hi Andy

While in labour (badly mismanaged all round by the way) I had the midwife refuse to call the anesthist for an epidural as, in her words "God made women suffer in childbirth for Eve's sins" Believe me, an epistomy, 2nd degree tears and forceps is no picnic with absoultely no pain relief, one of the reasons I stopped at one child.

Whith this in mind, what are your feelings about the large sums of money the NHS spends on hospital chaplins? Is is right to spend tax payers money on unwanted, unneeded and sometimes frankly dangerous advice? Surely the established religions could fund this 'service'.

LindsayWagner - it's a great campaign. Whilst frontbenchers can't sign EDMs unfortunately, I can assure you I fully support the 5 aims of Mumsnet's campaign. As Health Secretary, I got interested in this whole area when a journalist friend brought to my attention the terrible experience that she had had. Whilst I am always first to celebrate the great strengths of the NHS, I know that this is an area where for many women and families it falls terribly short. So expect vocal support from the Shadow Health Secretary on this important issue.

Andy - what's your view of Nadine Dorries's proposal to make the teaching of abstinence compulsory for girls' sex education? According to today's Guardian, she is claiming it will not only reduce teen pregnancy but help to prevent girls being sexually abused (all they have to do is say no, apparently). Is Labour mounting an effective and well-informed response to this?

DamnYouAutocorrect - I am incredibly proud of the improvements in the NHS in our time in Government. Last week's Commonwealth Fund report judged it to be one of, if not the, best healthcare system in the world, which begs the question why is this Government turning it upside down? Of course, we didn't get everything right and there was an over reliance at times on top-down targets.

On use of other providers it is important to say that use of private sector capacity enabled Labour to bring down NHS waiting lists to the lowest ever level.

Ooh thanks Andy. What do you think should be the next steps for Mumsnet/Mumsnetters, in order to actually change miscarriage policy and procedures at PCT/hospital trust level?