King’s Speech

Baroness Rafferty Excerpts

Thursday 21st May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Rafferty (Lab)]

My Lords, I rise to speak as a nurse on the health aspects of the strategic defence review and some of the implications it holds for the National Health Service. I shall be brief, as the review is admirably concise in its analysis. As I was unable to speak in the health debate, I hope the Minister will indulge me and kindly pass on some key points to my noble friend Lady Merron.

The focus of my remarks is the need for close collaboration between the Defence Medical Services and the NHS. The gracious Speech sets out the ambition that the Government

“will support our gallant Armed Forces and their families who make considerable personal sacrifices for the collective security and freedom of everyone in the United Kingdom”.

Defence Medical Services play a crucial role in retaining service personnel and boosting morale, so it is vital that they are fit for the future. But they do not act alone. Renowned for the excellence of their rehabilitation services, they are nevertheless dependent on the NHS for secondary and tertiary care.

The Covid pandemic taught us all the crucial role that defence services played in logistics, setting up the Nightingale hospitals and rollout of the vaccination programme. The review, however, fires a warning shot in pointing to the fragmentation of services and the historic neglect and underfunding, arguing that the relationship with the NHS has been deprioritised in recent years. It is imperative that this relationship is repaired and boosted by securing close collaboration between the MoD and the DHSC to ensure that the Defence Medical Services and the NHS have the capacity to meet defence medical needs, including in the most extreme circumstances.

To achieve this, a sprint review was recommended to assess system-wide capacity and capability. This was scheduled for completion in March of this year. Can the Minister confirm that such a sprint is planned or under way, and whether its findings will be accessible in the public domain? The adoption of a “whole force” plan identifying workforce requirements as part of an enduring approach agreed with the NHS also presents an opportunity for articulation with the much-anticipated NHS workforce plan. In closing, can the Minister assure us that he will work closely with his noble friend the Minister for Health to ensure that these vital services are given the priority and attention they deserve?