NHS England: Staff Costs
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Baroness Hussein-Ece
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I can only say that the ongoing forensic work will uncover what has happened over the past few years, but I think we all know that, at the moment, the NHS is not fit for purpose; there needs to be radical change. This Government are absolutely committed to that, and we will make sure that it happens at pace and safely, putting patients front and centre in the delivery of health services in this country.
Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD)
To return to the Question from my noble friend Lord Scriven on health inequalities and how they might be impacted by the proposed changes, will the Minister please reassure us that the widening health inequalities that we know exist around the country will not get worse, particularly for the most vulnerable and those with learning disabilities, whom we know face tremendous access problems? There have been numerous studies on how accessing primary healthcare is a real challenge for those with learning disabilities. Can she reassure us that that will not be dropped?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
My experience of the Covid virus taught me about the impact of health inequalities and where people suffered the most. It is absolutely imperative for this Government to look at health inequalities, and everything in the 10-year plan is based on that premise. We know how unequal services are and how unequal life expectancy is. We know that people living just a few miles down the road from others in the same city can have a more than 10-year difference in life expectancy. This is absolutely at the centre of the 10-year plan and why we are doing it and will deliver for patients in this country.
International Women’s Day
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Baroness Hussein-Ece
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for all the work that she has done in this area over many years. This Government are committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination. We will make the right to equal pay effective by putting in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay, and we will implement a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay. My noble friend is right about the importance of closing the gender pay gap, which is why, as part of the Employment Rights Bill, we are taking the first steps towards requiring large employers to produce action plans covering steps they are taking on the gender pay gap and menopause support.
Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD)
My Lords, I declare that I am the co-chair of the APPG on Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Women and girls are all too often at the front line of conflict and humanitarian crisis, and approximately 800 women die every day of preventable causes relating to pregnancy and childbirth. In Afghanistan, a woman dies every two hours due to sexual violence and attacks and the restricting of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. With the proposed reduction in these vital services due to the proposed ODA cuts, will the Government emphasise their commitment to prioritising and ring-fencing these programmes for women and girls as a hallmark of commemorating this International Women’s Day.