Personal Social Care: Funding

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Tuesday 16th October 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

The noble Lord is right: the Dilnot commission proposed risk pooling, which we legislated for, and it was decided that it was not the right time to proceed with those proposals. However, I can tell the noble Lord that Sir Andrew Dilnot continues to be involved in the policy-making process, as does Dame Kate Barker, who chaired another review. We want to ensure that we can draw on their expertise as we put our ideas forward.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

Will my noble friend correct my noble friend Lord Forsyth: there is no such thing as free social care, it is just a question of who pays for it?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

My noble friend is absolutely right, which is why there must be a balance between what is paid by individuals and by the taxpayer through the state.

NHS: Equitable Access

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Thursday 5th July 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

The noble Lord picks a very good example of a technology that is transforming diabetic care, as he knows. A few months ago, I was pleased to be able to approve it for prescription in the NHS; it is now available across the country where clinicians think it is the appropriate course of treatment.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, is my noble friend concerned that the NHS, employing 1.3 million people, is too large to manage?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

On the contrary. We want it only to get bigger.

NHS and Social Care Services: Parity of Esteem

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Thursday 5th July 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

Well, they say that success has many parents and we should pay tribute to the Liberal MP William Beveridge, the Conservative Health Minister Henry Willink, and the Labour Health Minister Nye Bevan in the founding of the NHS. It is important to point out that the Conservative Party has been in power for 43 of the NHS’s 70 years and it has thrived under our leadership.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

Will my noble friend confirm that when Nye Bevan established the NHS he said that the demand was going to be strictly limited?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

Limiting demand is one of the challenges that we face to make sure that we are able to deliver a health service, but the NHS has proven to be highly effective not just in dealing with acute disease but now in supporting people with chronic disease, which is the greatest health challenge that we face.

Psychiatrists: Referral Fees

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Thursday 7th June 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

I am as disturbed as the noble Lord is, not only by the stories we have seen in the press but by his view that this came as no surprise. If substantiated, from a professional perspective this is clearly a great cause of concern. I would be interested to meet him to talk about the overall support for the private sector. Clearly the CQC has a role in providing for patient safety and quality, but we need to make sure that publicly funded services are available for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, is it against the guidelines of the BMA for doctors to go to luxurious resorts on so-called conferences at places with plenty of golf courses, paid for by drugs companies?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

I do not know whether it is against the standards of the BMA. However, the General Medical Council is explicit in its guidance that doctors must not allow any financial interest—either the fact or the perception of it—to impact on the way they treat or refer patients, and they must declare any such conflicts or perceptions of conflicts to patients while treating them.