Petitions

Debate between Jeremy Lefroy and Pauline Latham

Tuesday 1st December 2015 Commons Chamber

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

I rise to present a petition on behalf of the residents of the Stafford constituency in the same terms as my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness.

The Petition of the residents of Stafford.

[P001582]

[Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con)]

I rise to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Mid Derbyshire in the same terms as my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness.

The Petition of the residents of Mid Derbyshire.

[P001583]

School Funding Model

Debate between Jeremy Lefroy and Pauline Latham

Tuesday 1st December 2015 Commons Chamber

Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)

- Hansard -

I rise to present a petition on behalf of the residents of the Stafford constituency in the same terms as my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness.

The Petition of the residents of Stafford.

[P001582]

Pauline Latham (Mid Derbyshire) (Con)

- Hansard - - Excerpts

I rise to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Mid Derbyshire in the same terms as my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness.

The Petition of the residents of Mid Derbyshire.

[P001583]

Diabetes (Care in Schools)

Debate between Jeremy Lefroy and Pauline Latham

Tuesday 11th September 2012 Westminster Hall

[Pauline Latham]

Yes. I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. Young children and those in their teens hate to be different and need such support to ensure that they do not feel that they are different. Parents also need support, because it is difficult if they are not completely confident, when leaving a vulnerable child at school, that the school is in full control of care and what is going on with the child.

It is important that all school staff have a good awareness of type 1 diabetes and know what to do in an emergency, for example, a hypoglycaemic episode. Sadly, this is not so and there are huge discrepancies across England in the quality of care provided to children at school. It is a postcode lottery.

While working alongside my constituent to ensure that the required care is put in place for the boy in question, the Essex protocol was brought to my attention. The Essex protocol is a set of guidelines produced with parents and partners by Essex county council to ensure that school staff are supported and given the right equipment to support pupils with diabetes. These guidelines are invaluable when it comes to protecting the safety of a child and, of course, parents’ peace of mind.

If a school in Essex is insured through the council and has followed the protocol guidelines, they are fully covered by the school’s insurers. Leeds, Birmingham and Exeter also have appropriate guidelines. The guidelines should be of the same standard and applied throughout the UK, because at the moment there is huge variation in the quality of care that a child receives in their school. The very existence of this variation raises serious questions about the confidence that can be placed in those who have the duty of care for the child throughout the school day.

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. My constituent, Darcy Evans, who suffers from type 1 diabetes is fortunate to have an excellent school nurse in her school, but is concerned that other children should have the same access. What does my hon. Friend think could be done to even out, to a higher standard, the quality of care across schools and to ensure that it is not only teachers who are informed, but even pupils, because the reaction of fellow pupils is also important?

Melanoma

Debate between Jeremy Lefroy and Pauline Latham

Wednesday 18th January 2012 Westminster Hall

[Pauline Latham]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend, and I will come on to some cases in a moment. It is a very important point.

As well as coming together to share our concerns, the meeting was held to create a report that was submitted to NICE in response to the appraisal consultation document, in anticipation that it would be considered ahead of the NICE technology appraisal meeting, which took place on 16 November. We have had no response so far.

When holding the meeting on advanced melanoma, I was given the opportunity to hear first hand from melanoma patients, who are desperate to receive the drug. Melanoma often strikes at the younger end of the population. More than a third of all cases of melanoma occur in people below the age of 55, and it is the second most common form of cancer in the UK for those aged between 15 and 34. What those statistics on advanced melanoma in the younger population do not show is that many people in that age group will have children and so will face a very aggressive cancer, alongside the knowledge that they face leaving behind their children and family.

The patients whom I met at the meeting all echoed a simple and profound point: they are desperate to stay alive, so that they can be with their children, husbands, wives, partners and families. Given that treatment options for the disease have not advanced for three decades, how can it be fair not to release the drug for use by those patients who could have more time with their families? One young patient—a lady aged only 30—said at the meeting:

“I need to live. I have to live for my children. I just want a few more years so that my boys will remember me.”

Richard Clifford, the founder and trustee of the Karen Clifford Skin Cancer charity—Skcin—said at the meeting that

“median overall survival time after diagnosis is six to nine months. This is tragic because people have little time to prepare themselves and their loved ones for what is inevitably going to occur.”

I could not agree more with his sentiments. There is clearly an unmet need in the treatments available, and I believe that ipilimumab has a place in today’s treatment options, which are already scarce for cases of malignant melanoma. An experienced oncologist from Leeds who has used ipilimumab echoed that view at the meeting:

“It is the first drug that can help people live longer or make them more likely to be active for a meaningful period of time.”

I add a personal plea for help: my brother died from a malignant melanoma 11 years ago this month at the age of 54, one week after his birthday, leaving his wife and two teenage children. I know how debilitating this form of cancer is and how quickly it can spread. Apart from radical surgery, he had very few options in terms of the drugs on offer. As a result of Michael’s illness and death, I see my GP regularly, and I have had several pre-cancerous areas removed before they had the chance to progress to malignancy.

[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on raising this important issue. As someone with very fair skin, I have had to have skin removed and examined, so I understand the potential consequences and the worry that people go through. Does she agree that we need more education about the consequences for fair-skinned people and, indeed, everyone of too much exposure to the sun and the overuse of sunbeds?

[Pauline Latham]

Yes, and I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that up. Sunbeds are still a problem, particularly among young women who think that having a tan makes them look healthier.