Edward Morello

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Steve Darling) on securing the debate. I will be as brief as I can. I would love to talk about the lack of NHS dentist appointments in West Dorset or the problem with the funding model for community pharmacies, but instead I will just make the point that integrated care boards such as NHS Dorset are being asked to cut their staff by 50% on top of previous cuts of 30%. These are the people who ensure that frontline services run smoothly, and I am concerned that gutting their capacity in such numbers so quickly risks destabilising the very system that we are trying to fix. Although NHS Dorset has a plan in place to break even, it is reliant on delivering £190 million in savings. The trust has requested £14 million in additional financial support, but remains £22 million short of its funding target. There is also a pressing need for capital investment in digital infrastructure to help modernise hospital estates, such as Dorset county hospital, to streamline services. The closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil means that Dorset county hospital in Dorchester is picking up much of the slack; it is looking after more patients with no additional cash. The fact is that delivering services in rural communities in the south-west is more expensive than it is in urban areas. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that rural communities are no longer left behind?