(9 years, 7 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, does the Minister accept that one of the—I hope unintended—consequences of the Health and Social Care Act has been the disastrous effect on the recruitment of GPs, the number of people going into the GP profession and the number of people leaving the profession or who have said that they will be retiring early? It was described to me recently as an impending car crash.
My Lords, I think we all recognise that general practice is under unprecedented pressure but I would not attribute that to the 2012 Act; I would attribute it to the unprecedented rise in demand from patients. The NHS across the piece is busier than ever before and naturally that has an effect on morale. We are, however, taking steps to promote recruitment into general practice and to reduce the day-to-day burdens that are imposed on general practitioners.
(9 years, 8 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, does the Minister agree that there is still a social stigma attached to postnatal depression? I have heard people say, “She’s got a new baby, what’s she complaining about?”. What steps are the Government taking to increase public understanding of the fact that this is a mental illness, unbidden, which affects women who would like to be able to bond with their babies and be proud of them like the rest of us are?
The noble Baroness makes an extremely good point. I think that the stigma attached to mental illness is slowly diminishing, although there is a long way to go. But she is right that there are common misconceptions around the baby blues and postnatal depression. One of the most important things we can do is inform mothers-to-be of the risks and signs of those syndromes. If we can do that and prepare mothers for the possibility that they will experience this, we are more than half way there.
(10 years, 7 months ago)
Lords ChamberI do not have a figure to quote to the noble Lord, but our aim, as he says, must be to support children and young people with mental health problems wherever possible in the community in which they live. Admission to hospital should be a last resort for a young person. We have done a great deal to improve mental health services for young people in the community. We also recognise the difficulties for young people and their families if they are treated in hospitals some way from home, but the decision about where they are treated is bound to depend on what is available and what facilities are needed to meet their particular clinical needs.
My Lords, given that there should be parity of esteem not only between mental and physical health services but between people in the community and those in prison, and given that up to 70% of women in our prisons are mentally ill, what provision is now given under the Health and Social Care Act regime for the commissioning of those services for these women?
(11 years, 3 months ago)
Lords ChamberI do, of course, agree with the noble Lord. I am sure that we have to be realistic about the extent to which every GP can be fully informed about this area. I can only say that it has risen in prominence in recent years, not least thanks to the efforts of the noble Earl. There is growing concern that this particular cohort of patients has been poorly served in the past and that is why the extent to which these drugs are being prescribed has diminished significantly over recent years.
My Lords, will the Minister confirm that the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Royal College of Psychiatrists said many years ago that benzodiazepines are unsuitable for long-term use and should be prescribed for periods of two to four weeks only? And will he revisit a Written Answer he gave me recently saying that there was no connection between benzodiazepine addiction and suicide, when there is 30 years of eminent research to show that that is indeed the case? I declare an interest as the patron of Battle Against Tranquillisers, the foremost charity campaigning in this area, whose mission statement is:
“To lessen the harm caused by benzodiazepine and z drug tranquilizers and sleeping pills”.
My Lords, of course I will revisit that Answer, and I will come back to the noble Baroness if I find cause to correct what I have said. However, I agree with her that the risks associated with long-term use of tranquillisers have been well recognised for many years. There are several authoritative sources for guidance for prescribers on this issue. I believe that that guidance is having an effect because, as I said, the prescribing rate has considerably diminished of late. There is no shortage of guidance out there. There is the national formulary, which already describes the importance of gradual withdrawal from benzodiazepines, and there is a wide variety of other impartial and trustworthy information resources to support prescribing.
(11 years, 7 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy noble friend makes an important point. We are clear in recommending that patients should talk to their GPs before stopping any treatment that has been prescribed by a doctor in favour of homeopathy and before they start taking homeopathic remedies. It is important that people understand that homeopathy may not be effective in many situations.
My Lords, given that many GPs ask for training in homeopathy and become homeopaths using both conventional and homeopathic medicine, and speaking as someone who personally uses homeopathic remedies, will the Minister ensure that the views of people such as the noble Lord, Lord Taverne, with which we are all familiar, are not given such credence within the National Health Service that those who wish to use homeopathic remedies do not have that choice?
My Lords, I take the noble Baroness’s point. Again, we have consistently said, in this and in other areas, that clinical responsibility for an individual’s health condition rests with their GP, who must therefore be able to justify clinically any treatment to which he or she refers someone. As she said, there are GPs who have a speciality in homeopathy. We recommend that a patient who is interested in homeopathic treatment should go to such a GP.
(13 years, 11 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, the noble Baroness is right to say that there is legislative provision to ensure age-appropriate accommodation for young people in particular suffering from mental health difficulties. A range of products has been produced by the National Mental Health Development Unit to assist hospitals to meet the legal requirement to provide that age-appropriate setting. It does not mean, of course, that no under 18 year-olds may be treated on adult psychiatric wards as there are circumstances where that is appropriate. But my understanding is that this legislation is being observed and is making a difference.
My Lords, given that two-thirds of the women in prison have diagnosable mental health disorders and that services are currently commissioned through primary care trusts, how will such services be provided once the trusts are abolished?