Drug-related Deaths in England and Wales
Lord Bishop of Newcastle Excerpts(3 weeks, 5 days ago)
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The Lord Bishop of Newcastle
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of data published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 October indicating that the number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales was higher in 2023 than in any other year since records began in 1993, and what steps they are taking to reduce the number of such deaths.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, drug-related deaths are tragically at record highs, especially in deprived areas. We are committed to tackling this problem, including by correcting the years of disinvestment in treatment services as highlighted by Dame Carol Black in her independent review. I was glad to lay legislation that widens access to naloxone, a life-saving opioid reversal medication, and this Government will continue to work across health, policing and the wider public services to prevent drug use and address the causes of inequality, including in Newcastle.
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle
I thank the Minister for her Answer. The ONS data revealed that the north-east has been the English region with the highest proportion of drug-related deaths for the 11th consecutive year—three times higher than the lowest rate, in London. Can the Minister say a little more about what targeted steps His Majesty’s Government are taking to reduce drug-related deaths, particularly in the north-east?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The right reverend Prelate is absolutely right to highlight the situation in the north- east. I can assure her that funding is allocated on the basis of need, and that includes the rates of drug-related deaths. I hope it was helpful that senior officials from the department recently met with the drug and alcohol service commissioners, the police and crime commissioners and the directors of public health from across the north-east to discuss synthetic drug threats. We will certainly continue to work with local areas, including the north-east, to tackle this very real issue.
NHS: Dentistry Provision
Lord Bishop of Newcastle Excerpts(3 weeks, 6 days ago)
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Baroness Merron (Lab)
As the noble Lord will know, we are very keen to see that the areas that are most underserved—as I know from my own experience in Lincolnshire—are targeted. One of the reasons is the problem of recruiting and retaining dentists, as there is not a dental school to call upon. That point is well understood. We are keen to target the areas that need the most, as well as providing additional urgent dental appointments. Early conversations have also taken place with the Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, about reforming the dental contract, which is absolutely key, and that work will continue at pace.
The Lord Bishop of Newcastle
My Lords, the Child of the North report, published in September, on the crisis in oral health in children, reported that 20% of children in the north-east have tooth decay in their permanent teeth. What plans do the Government have to implement one of the report’s recommendations—namely, to have a national strategy for children’s oral health, of which the establishment of new dental schools could be a part?
Baroness Merron (Lab)
The right reverend Prelate makes a very good point. The fact is that the overall state of our children’s oral health is very poor, including in the north-east, as she rightly identifies. One of the shocking facts is the impact on children’s ability to sleep, eat, play, socialise and even learn. It is also shocking that tooth decay is still the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged five to nine years. We will indeed look at the report, but we do have a strategy, including the introduction of supervised toothbrushing for young children in disadvantaged areas.
NHS: Long-term Sustainability
Lord Bishop of Newcastle Excerpts(8 months ago)
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The Lord Bishop of Newcastle
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Patel, for securing this debate. It is a pleasure to follow my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Tyler, and I commend the noble Baroness, Lady Ramsey, on her excellent maiden speech. I welcome this debate’s focus on health and social care and in this regard I pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick, for her speech. Too often, social care is considered in public debates primarily in the context of ensuring that the NHS is not overwhelmed.
This debate’s title is rightly ambitious about social care reform. But given the current state, social care simply needs to be there when people need it, in a comprehensive, timely and affordable way. This was highlighted by the case in Newcastle of Dr Jo Wilson, who had been diagnosed with dementia in 2020. Following her death in January 2023, her husband Bill, who had provided round-the-clock care as a result of inadequate and inconsistent care support, described the care system as “broken”. Many cases, such as those raised by campaigns such as John’s Campaign, founded 10 years ago, are also linked to poor dementia care, particularly access for loved ones to those under care.
The Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care developed a vision for social care, drawing on Christian theology and values. The commission heard the need for a fundamental shift in how social care is thought about, organised and delivered. It proposed a national care covenant, a process initiated by government in dialogue with stakeholders to clarify the responsibilities of everyone: individuals, families and communities, alongside local and national government. What assessment does the Minister make of a covenant as a means of rebalancing social care roles and responsibilities?
Areas prioritised by the Government in recent years are worthy of attention. We need more digitisation of systems and databases. We certainly need more care workers, and an attitude shift around that work’s importance, reflected in pay and conditions, as other noble Lords have mentioned. Indeed, the greatest challenge the sector faces in delivering high-quality care and support nationally is workforce recruitment and retention. The north-east is no exception: in 2022-23, the vacancy rate was 8.7%, with 6,400 vacant posts.
I commend the newly published report by the think-tank Theos, which considers the intersection between love, work and care and offers a different and profoundly helpful lens for valuing care more highly. It says:
“Love is a skill, and … is what makes care possible”.
The lack of a shared sense of why social care matters may contribute to attempts at reform being abandoned. With the health and social care levy scrapped and the cap on costs delayed, there lacks a long-term strategy around funding social care. I worry that neither this debate nor the fundamental debate about the value and purpose of social care are taking place. It can feel as though there is a collective burying of heads and a desire to avoid the next NHS crisis rather than recognising that the success of our health and care systems are fundamentally bound up with one another. Where is the vision? Social care demands our focus, not as an end in itself but as the very means by which we begin to experience life in all its fullness.