Fact-Check

Political leaflets and social media posts are not subject to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) requirements that adverts are legal, decent, honest and truthful.

But you can check out the Facts here.

If you get any leaflets with statements or allegations you doubt, send them over and I will gladly Fact-Check them for you.

FACT-CHECK SUMMARY

Claim 1: In August the Lib Dem Deputy Leader forced ministers to admit Frimley Park Hospital is one of 34 hospitals where the roof is built of material that poses a significant safety risk. 

Fact-Check 1: In July, not August, Daisy Cooper asked a question ‘what estimate he has made of the number of hospitals in England fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)?’. The reply was that 34 buildings in 16 NHS Trusts had RAAC planks.

Frimley Park Hospital was not named, so it is false to claim ministers ‘were forced to admit Frinley Park Hospital is one of 34 hospitals … ‘ You can read the actual exchange here.

Frimley Park Hospital does not need to be named as having a problem with RAAC. It’s a well known fact. In December 2021 the Frimley Health Hospital website published a post about the need to rebuild the hospital, the reasons why (RAAC), and the steps they have taken to secure the funding required. 

Claim 2: Our doctors and nurses are being let down by a lack of investment from this government.

Fact-Check 2: The Kings Fund have published this chart showing how the NHS & Social Care budget has changed over time.

Since 2016, the budget has increased by £733m per week, more than twice the amount Vote Leave allegedly “lied” about on the bus (£350m).

WHAT WE ARE FACT CHECKING

This is fact-checking a leaflet delivered at the beginning of September 2022:

It says:

“In August Lib Dem Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP challenged Conservative ministers over the lack of investment in our hospitals. They were forced to admit Frimley Park Hospital is one of 34 hospitals where the roof is built of material that poses a significant safety risk.

The Liberal Democrats are leading calls for proper investment in our NHS services.

Our doctors and nurses doa  great job, but they are being let down by a lack of investment from this Government”

The Facts

Ministers written answer to question about NHS 

In July, not August, Daisy Cooper asked a question ‘what estimate he has made of the number of hospitals in England fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)?’. The reply was:

‘The NHS has conducted building surveys to identify the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in its estate. This identified 16 NHS trusts and 34 buildings containing RAAC planks.

All affected trusts have employed structural surveyors to assess the condition of the infrastructure. A ring-fenced allocation of £110 million has been provided to mitigate the immediate risk and trusts will receive a further £575 million in the current Spending Review period.’

You can read the exchange here.

The Minister did not name the hospitals affected so it is not correct to say ‘they were forced to admit Frimley Park Hospital …’.

The issue with the structure of Frimley Park Hospital is not something anyone is trying to keep secret. The Frimley Health Hospital website site is quite open about the need to rebuild the hospital, the reasons why and the steps they have taken to secure the funding required. This was published in December 2021.

To claim a LibDem MP was responsible for exposing the fact that FPH has a problem with its structure is false.

NHS Investment

See King’s Fund graph above.

Those who follow Brexit might be interested to note that the budget increase from the EU Referendum in 2016-17 to 2022-23 was £173.8bn – £135.7bn = £38.1bn per annum.

This is an increase of £733m per week.

What was the “lie” on the Brexit Bus? £350m per week.

Investment has increased by more than twice that amount.

The problem with the NHS is not a lack of investment, but that’s for another blog.

Stuart Black, September 2022.