Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Debate between Baroness O'Loan and Baroness Whitaker

Committee stage
Friday 30th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Whitaker (Lab)]

My Lords, that provision is in the Bill, if the noble Baroness would just look. I am afraid that I cannot put my finger on the actual clause, but the assessing doctor is required to provide interpreters where necessary.

[Baroness O’Loan (CB)]

My Lords, I have added my name to Amendment 65 in this group, but will first respond briefly to what the noble Baroness, Lady Gerada, said about remote consultations. This is the core of what we are discussing today. It is not just the doctor who needs to be able to see and understand. The patient needs to be able to see, understand and interact with the doctor.

During Covid, my brother tried for six months to see his doctor. There were regular telephone calls. On each occasion, he was told that his symptoms were resulting from cardiac problems and other problems that he had had, and that all he needed to do was take painkillers. When he finally presented to A&E six months later, he had stage 4 lung cancer and bone cancer. Remote consultations do not always protect. Because this is a matter of life and death, because this is a situation in which someone is seeking death, we need to be very sure of what we are doing.