Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare
Carolyn Harris Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Several hon. Members rose—
Carolyn Harris (in the Chair)
Order. I assume that all Members who are bobbing have sought permission from both the Minister and the Member in charge to make a speech. They will need to be very short speeches, or else we will not get a response from the Minister.
Moles: Histological Testing
Carolyn Harris Excerpts(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Jardine. I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley) and for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) on securing this vital debate on the histological testing of excised moles. I am chair of the all-party parliamentary group for beauty and wellbeing, and this issue aligns closely with our current inquiry into ultraviolet safety. It sits right at the heart of the concerns that led to the launch of the inquiry earlier this year.
Unprotected UV exposure poses huge risks and is creating a greater volume of potentially malignant lesions. We know that it is the main driver of the formation of new moles and the malignant transformation of existing ones. As the number of cases escalates, so does the need for accurate and timely histological testing. The success of the entire melanoma pathway hinges on that final, non-negotiable diagnostic step. We must ensure that the NHS’s resources, training and standardisation for histological analysis are robust enough to manage the growing volume.
Figures from Cancer Research UK paint a worrying picture: nearly 18,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year in the UK, and that is projected to rise to nearly 27,000 by 2040. The pressure on pathology services to diagnose excised lesions correctly and rapidly is immense, and it is only going to rise. What is perhaps more tragic is that 86% of these cancers are preventable. If people were better able to protect themselves against UV radiation, we could slash the number of cases and ease the burden on our health services.
Our APPG inquiry into UV safety launched in May, and aims to take evidence from clinicians, academics, industry experts, media influencers and those with lived experience. Although we will not report until spring next year, we are already seeing patterns in the evidence we have received in oral sessions and through written submissions: calls for public awareness campaigns so that people are better educated on how to check their moles and seek medical intervention when needed; questions around the labelling of the sun protection factor and affordability of sun cream; and a widespread concern over the regulation and marketing of products that have known melanoma risk factors. I am sure the Minister will listen today and that she is acutely aware of the critical importance of this issue.
We must resource diagnostic services appropriately to meet the rising demand, and at the same time give adequate attention to changes that will help to prevent the predicted rise in cases. By addressing in tandem prevention and detection—from SPF affordability, which will encourage sun cream use, to rapid histology, which will produce timely diagnoses—we will deliver the most significant savings of all. We will save families money, we will save patients long and anxious waits for test results, and we will save the NHS money by reducing costs and easing its burden. Most importantly, we will save lives.
Diabetes Treatments
Carolyn Harris Excerpts(1 year, 3 months ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Carolyn Harris (in the Chair)
I will call Sarah Bool to move the motion, and then call the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention.
Sarah Bool (South Northamptonshire) (Con)
I beg to move,
That this House has considered diabetes treatments.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. On 21 May 2021, my world changed forever when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 33. While my diagnosis was a shock, given its late onset, the feelings of fear, disbelief and sadness are shared by all those diagnosed—young or old, with type 1 or type 2.
Diabetes is a complicated condition that has been done the great disservice of being stigmatised through misunderstanding. It is not necessarily that we have eaten too many sweets or not looked after ourselves. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition—we did nothing to cause it—and people can develop it later in life; Mr Speaker and I can attest to that. Type 2 is not just for the over-40s and the unfit; someone can be slim and active, like Sir Steve Redgrave, and still be diagnosed. That is why I have secured today’s debate. Breaking down the stigma and investing in early treatment of diabetes is so important to allow patients to live fulfilled lives, and to do so in the most long-term, cost-efficient manner for the Government.
Our understanding of how to treat diabetes has come on leaps and bounds since the discovery of insulin back in 1921, but there is still so much more that we can do. Some 5.6 million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes. That includes 4,329 people in my constituency of South Northamptonshire—more than 6% of the population. However, last year, just 54% of my constituents with diabetes received all eight of their essential checks, which are important for identifying and preventing complications.
The total cost of diabetes to the NHS is estimated at £10.7 billion, and 60% of that is spent on the costs of diabetes complications. Every week, complications from diabetes lead to 2,990 cases of heart failure, more than 184 amputations, 930 strokes and 660 heart attacks. Those should be preventable with the right education, the right support, and the right attitude from individuals and the Government.
There is so much that I could talk about on diabetes, but this is a short debate, so my initial ask of the Government, on type 1, is that we end the postcode lottery, with equitable treatment for those living with diabetes wherever they live in the UK.
Oral Answers to Questions
Carolyn Harris Excerpts(1 year, 6 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Andrew Gwynne
I thank the hon. Lady for the way in which the Liberal Democrats approached the issue of health and social care during the election campaign. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already said, we will work with all in the House who want to fix our broken health and social care system. Of course we will work collegiately across parties, and of course all issues relating to how we fix our broken social care system will be discussed during those cross-party deliberations.
Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)
Our NHS is broken. This Government have been honest about the problems we face because we are serious about fixing them, and we have not wasted a moment. We have appointed Lord Darzi to carry out an independent investigation of the state of our NHS, we are resetting the relationship with junior doctors with negotiations starting today, and we are laying the foundations for the delivery of 40,000 more appointments a week to cut waiting lists. The Gracious Speech kick-started a decade of national renewal, with modernisation of the Mental Health Act as well as the smoking reform, which will ensure that this generation of young people is the first smoke-free generation, and will be the first step towards ensuring that that generation is the healthiest in history.
Carolyn Harris
During their free NHS 40-plus health checks, women are assessed for conditions that may affect them as they grow older, but menopause is not included. To include it would be cost-neutral and would not only help millions of women to recognise the symptoms, but prevent needless GP appointments when those symptoms start to develop. Along with Menopause Mandate, I have been campaigning tirelessly on this issue. Will the Secretary of State please look into it as a matter of urgency?
Wes Streeting
I am delighted to see my hon. Friend back in the House. She campaigns relentlessly on this vital issue, and it would be very risky for me to do anything other than agree to meet her, because I share her view that progress needs to be made on it.