Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Maria Caulfield

Tuesday 23rd January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

14. What steps she is taking to increase access to mental health services.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

We are investing a record amount in NHS mental health services, committing £2.3 billion extra a year for the expansion and transformation of services in England, which will enable 2 million more people to access mental health support.

[Jeff Smith]

If only the reality was that rosy. The entire sector is calling out for reform of the Mental Health Act 1983. With our mental health services in crisis, why did the Government scrap the long-awaited and overdue mental health Bill, which could have started to alleviate pressures on trusts by reducing the numbers of people detained inappropriately and making services more fit for purpose? Is it not true that we need a Labour Government to take action on this issue?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Maria Caulfield

Tuesday 7th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

T5. Every day, the families of women who took the drug Primodos in the 1960s and ’70s continue to suffer the consequences of a lifetime of disability. Baroness Cumberlege’s review made it clear that Primodos caused avoidable harm and that the families should be given redress, so why have the Government recently refused three mediation requests on behalf of those families?

[Maria Caulfield]

The hon. Gentleman will know that we have huge sympathy for those affected by Primodos. He will also know that there is a legal case at the moment so I am unable comment at this time, but I am happy to discuss it with him further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeff Smith and Maria Caulfield

Wednesday 8th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Maria Caulfield]

I can reassure my right hon. Friend that the women’s health ambassador will be key in driving change, not just by raising awareness and confidence among women in coming forward for help, but by improving the services women receive, and she will have to wait only days, rather than weeks, before we release the name.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

5. What recent progress the Government have made on the delivery of a women’s health strategy.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Maria Caulfield)]

As I have said in answer to previous questions, the women’s health strategy will be forthcoming. We have had over 100,000 responses to our call for evidence. We published the vision document in December, and the full strategy will be published shortly.

[Jeff Smith]

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has just released figures to show that gynaecology waiting lists have soared by over 60% to half a million people—a bigger proportion than in any other area of medicine. What are the Government going to do to sort this out and get waiting lists down so that women get the healthcare they need?

[Maria Caulfield]

It is true that the backlog caused by covid is having an impact on gynae procedures. The roll-out of our community diagnostic centres will help significantly with that because GPs will be able to refer women straight to them, and they will be able to get some of their gynae procedures done there without having to have secondary care referrals. We hope that will make an improvement for women.