Contributions
1,737 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholI am very aware of the issue. Funnily enough, just today I had a meeting on this with the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay. It is something on which we are working closely with…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholI thank my noble friend and agree. It should always be down to the GP, working closely with the patient, to decide the best form of treatment, whether talking therapies or drugs,…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholMy Lords, as set out in the draft mental health Bill, mental health activities are very focused on where help can be given in areas of inequalities. As to the position in the…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholWe all agree that GPs are best placed to do this. I think the House is aware of our commitment to increase the number of GP appointments by 50 million, and we are well on course…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholWe all see the great promise in genetic testing, and I know that this is something very close to my noble friend Lady Blackwood’s heart. It is a progressive area, where we are…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholI believe that the House is very aware of our plan for patients. It is very much the focus of my activity. I was just talking to the NHS and the CFO this morning on where we are…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholOn this occasion, that is probably a question about which I need to write back to the noble Lord to give him the detail on it.16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholFirst and foremost, it is the role of the GP and the local clinician to monitor that. Again, the guidance given by NICE is that we very much back up and work with the NHS…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholI agree with the premise of the question. Clearly we want the most efficient use of our resources. As I am sure the noble Lord is aware, there is a national review of…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholDecisions about what medicines to prescribe, and in what circumstances, are rightly made by the clinician caring for the patient. At the same time, NICE guidelines are clear that…16 Nov 2022HANSARDGPs: Anti-depressants and AlcoholI agree that the first step should normally be cognitive talking-type therapies. As the House will be aware, we have been investing quite considerably in the mental health space.…16 Nov 2022HANSARDAbuse and Deaths in Secure Mental Health UnitsWe are investing, and I understand and agree with the point that training is key to this. We have committed to spend £2.3 billion more in 2023-24 in the mental health arena,…09 Nov 2022HANSARDAbuse and Deaths in Secure Mental Health UnitsI thank my noble friend for the work that she and others are doing in this space. I agree that we need to respond rapidly. As I said, this is very high on Minister Caulfield’s…09 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: BacklogsThe NHS publishes the annual Estates Returns Information Collection , which provides a detailed breakdown of backlog maintenance. Patient and staff safety is our top priority.…09 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: BacklogsI agree that it is an area of key priority; that is why the spend in this year as reported by NHS trusts has gone up by 57%—an increase to £1.4 billion. So we recognise that this…09 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: BacklogsI am very pleased to say that the hospital programme is very much a feature. We are already working on five hospitals, which are in the process of being delivered. The programme…09 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: BacklogsI agree on the importance of that; as the noble Lord says, often these are easy savings to make, but they are not the right ones. I assure the House that it is a key priority of…09 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: BacklogsThank you. I am sure the whole House will agree the need for efficiencies to make sure every pound is well spent. I have a little knowledge in the DWP space. Although it falls…09 Nov 2022HANSARDAbuse and Deaths in Secure Mental Health UnitsI do not have the information to hand on when the last visit was, so I will write to the noble Lord on this. The substance of the question is good: clearly, we cannot have people…09 Nov 2022HANSARDAbuse and Deaths in Secure Mental Health UnitsAs previously mentioned, we are investing to increase the provision—I believe it is £2.3 billion in 2023-24, which is a significant sum. We have increased the workforce by 7,000…09 Nov 2022