Diabetes: 10-Year Health Plan
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(3 weeks, 2 days ago)
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Baroness Merron (Lab)
I can say yes to both of those because we have already committed to do that. The advertising restrictions were a manifesto commitment and will be implemented from 6 January. I can also tell the noble Baroness that from October this year, as the result of a consultation, the industry has already voluntarily agreed to abide by those restrictions. We had to make changes to make it more workable and I am glad we did that to get the right approach. I am also glad that we worked to get the voluntary agreement. I also said yes to the noble Baroness in respect of Diabetes UK’s 10 Year Vision, which we are very grateful for. I am also grateful for Diabetes UK’s interaction, which has been considerable, in the consultation on our 10-year plan. I thank Diabetes UK and I am sure the noble Baroness will join me in that.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, following the report from the charity Breakthrough T1D, which found that people in lower socioeconomic groups and those over 65 were least likely to be aware of new technologies such as the hybrid closed loop systems, what plans do HMG and NHSE have to raise awareness of the latest technologies available to type 1 diabetics of all ages and socioeconomic groups?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The matter of health inequalities is, obviously, one we are very concerned about. A national review is currently under way to update on monitoring, including of various groups. NHS England supports ICBs in improving diabetes care, including through the use of the medical technologies that the noble Baroness referred to, and, importantly, in reducing the variation in care that we still see across the country. It does that by using national data and insights, funding local clinical needs and addressing health inequalities through the national diabetes prevention programme. I certainly agree with the noble Baroness about the importance of raising awareness and the incredible contribution that new technology is playing. It has to be available for all and I hope we will establish that in the way I have mentioned.
Perinatal Mental Health
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(3 weeks, 3 days ago)
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Baroness Merron (Lab)
The noble Lord, building on my noble friend’s point, makes a very important point. I will add to what he said. The impact on affected families is absolutely devastating and has very long-lasting effects, particularly on children. As the noble Lord said, the suicide prevention strategy outlines what clinicians should do, which is complete screening of women’s mental health during pregnancy and the first year after pregnancy. I hear the points that the noble Lord made and will put them into my discussions about suicide prevention, because I am also concerned about the number of people who take their own lives who are in no contact with the health services; we have to find a way of making contact with them. This is less the case in this circumstance, but that theme is still there. I thank the noble Lord for that contribution.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, following an Answer to a Written Question from my noble friend Lord Kamall, data shows that last year only one post was available in the north-east and one in the south-west for obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training stage 3, and only four posts were available in London. How will the Government rectify the dearth of provision?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
As the noble Baroness is aware, the long-awaited 10-year plan will be with us shortly. That will set out the parameters for change and the services that we need. Following that, there will a long-term workforce plan, which will deal with the kind of matters the noble Baroness referred to.
General Medical Council: Internal Guidance
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(1 year, 9 months ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, my noble friends should come to a gentlemen’s agreement on who is going first.
NHS: Allocation of Financial Resources
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(2 years, 2 months ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
My Lords, we will hear from the Conservative Benches and then the Cross Benches.
Baroness Manzoor (Con)
My Lords, I very much welcome the significant sums of money that have been put into the NHS to date by the Government. It is not just increases in beds that we need in hospitals. We live in an age where we have made significant inroads and innovation in technology, diagnostics and so forth, including artificial intelligence. Will my noble friend the Minister say how new technologies are being used to ensure that patients are not needing the extra beds in hospitals and creating the old mistakes we know of?
Adult Social Care
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(2 years, 4 months ago)
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Noble Lords
Lord Bradley (Lab)
My Lords, I too was a member of the Select Committee. One of the other key recommendations of our report was the establishment of a commissioner for care and support, to act as a champion for older adults, disabled people and, crucially, for unpaid carers, and that we should prioritise to ensure a review, update and implementation of the Care Act. Do the Government support these proposals?
United Kingdom: Future Pandemics
Baroness Williams of Trafford Excerpts(2 years, 6 months ago)
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Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
I was just about to confirm that it is the turn of the noble Lord, Lord Browne.
Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab)
My Lords, I am sure that the Minister is aware that it took repeated FoI requests from an NHS doctor to get the Government in 2021 to reveal that they had carried out Exercise Alice in 2016, which was designed to recognise the challenges should a coronavirus hit our shores. The report, redacted when published, revealed shortages of PPE, no plans for pandemic-related travel restrictions, and a failure to have a working contact-tracing system—all of which we had to improvise when it actually happened. Is the department carrying out similar exercises? Is it producing solutions, not just identifying problems? Will the Government publish these reports, so that the public can see what needs to be done to prepare this country?