Contributions
2,121 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren’s and Young People’s Mental Health ServicesI agree with the noble Baroness’s observations. Early intervention is key. That is what our entire focus is on, in the ways we have already discussed, and also on developing a…02 Jul 2026HANSARDChildren’s and Young People’s Mental Health ServicesThe point about age is important and one that we will be considering as we go forward with the mental health strategy. Waiting times are way too long, but there is a particular…02 Jul 2026HANSARDChildren’s and Young People’s Mental Health ServicesWhat the noble Lord says is absolutely right. That is why the Young Futures hubs, the early support hubs, focus on particular communities. We have taken a view that it is…02 Jul 2026HANSARDChildren’s and Young People’s Mental Health ServicesThe noble Lord raises the legitimate point that children’s and young people’s mental health is not just a matter for the health service but requires cross-government thinking on…02 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresMy Lords, pharmacies are an easily accessible front door to the NHS and we understand the impact that closures may have. We have increased the community pharmacy budget by £340…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresMy noble friend is quite right to identify the very important role that pharmacies play in the move from hospital to community. That is why we are funding the rollout of, for…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresWe are constantly in discussion with Community Pharmacy England and its organisations about how we develop their role. I am very enthusiastic, as many noble Lords are, about the…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentI would agree with the noble Baroness about the importance of ensuring that those who are considering accessing services—particularly the “add-on services”, as they are referred…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresWe are taking a number of actions on the point that the noble Baroness rightly raises. I have spoken about the uplift on the back of a major uplift in the two years previously.…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresI know that the noble Lord is aware of this, but pharmacies are private businesses that open and close for a range of reasons. Sometimes pharmacies close and then reopen. That is…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresAs I have said, we keep this constantly under review, but it is the case that GPs can provide dispensing services in a number of situations. That particularly helps if people live…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresThat comes into the category of underserved areas, particularly if there are fewer pharmacies. I disagree with my noble friend about the overall picture in terms of pharmacies; we…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPharmacy ClosuresThis is an important point and why the refreshed 10-year workforce plan, which we will soon see, will deliver the transformation of the health service, which pharmacists are very…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentMy Lords, we are aware of the issues raised in the Lancet article regarding the effectiveness of IVF treatment add-ons. The regulator, the HFEA, provides information to patients…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentI recognise the situation that my noble friend describes and note that, while the relevant Act has provided a strong framework for over three decades, the fact is that treatment,…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentWe are not doing that, not least because, as the noble Baroness is aware, we believe that the needs of the local population are best served through local decision-making and…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentThe noble Baroness is quite right to identify that this is not an insurance policy to be relied on to guarantee a baby in the future, no matter what suggestion there may be to the…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentI do find it unacceptable that people have different access to treatments in the way that noble Lords have described. I would expect that the move through the Health Bill will…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentAll of this is important, not least because noble Lords will have seen in the women’s health strategy that we want to ensure that every woman can access effective fertility…01 Jul 2026HANSARDIVF TreatmentIt is important that, where there are concerns, they are acted on. Perhaps the noble Baroness, with her experience, has a particular way in which that could be followed up, but…01 Jul 2026