Apparently the cash pile will allow patients to book services and order prescriptions online, access apps and digital tools and choose to speak to their doctor online or via video link rather than in person.
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Labour MPs were angered over the Health Secretary’s “no-show” after an urgent question was called in the House of Commons ahead of the next 24-hour strike planned for Wednesday.
While Marr took the health secretary to task over the junior doctors’ strike – reading out a number of hostile letters from those affected, Hunt responded with an interesting form of defence.
Johann Malawana, chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, told the BBC they had negotiated in good faith with the Government over the past few months, but there was “no willingness on their part to move on a core issue for junior doctors”.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the totally irresponsible way that the BMA has behaved in refusing to sit down and talk about how we can improve patient care and spreading misinformation that those doctors”, he added. I think there is a lot we can do in respect of the training.
“In the a year ago, the Health Secretary has implied that doctors don’t work at weekends, he’s insinuated that juniors are somehow to blame for deaths amongst patients admitted on Saturdays and Sundays and he’s insulted the profession’s intelligence by telling them they’ve been misled by the BMA”.
“But what I would say is one of the reasons for that anger – and there is anger there – is because they were told by the BMA that their pay was going to be cut”. “If you are told by your union that the health secretary wants to do these terrible things, of course you feel devalued”.
“Expanding on this to the IB Times UK, he said accused the health secretary of “Mr Hunt deliberately and knowingly” misquoting and misinterpreting” the conclusions of medical research about weekend mortality.
Announcing the latest plans, Hunt said: “The NHS has the opportunity to become a world leader in introducing new technology – which means better patient outcomes and a revolution in healthcare at home”.
Doctors and academics say the apparent findings are not necessarily because care in the NHS is poorer on the weekends but because patients admitted on weekends are often simply more ill.
Junior doctors themselves also overwhelmingly voted to strike with 98 per cent in favour on a high turnout.
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Ms Alexander had warned the Government threat to impose a new contract is “harmful” to patients as it would affect staff morale and risk a long period of industrial action.
