Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Lord Cashman Excerpts

Friday 19th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Cashman (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I watched as my late husband and partner of 31 years died, knowing there was a better, more humane way. When my dear friend of many, many years suffered for months, she knew there was another way, and she implored me to help. And I did. I was prepared to break the law, as I contacted clinics in the Netherlands and Switzerland. However, it was to come to nothing.

But these are the words of an observer. I would rather you hear the words of someone facing death, my dear friend, Elise. She writes:

“I’m 51 years old, and I have secondary cancer of the lungs, liver and bones. Or to put it bluntly, I’m dying. I was diagnosed just over a year ago. My medical team are very reluctant to give me a number, but I’ve been told that people with similar conditions can expect to live for around two years. I’ll let you do the maths ...


I’ve just been told that my life-extending drugs have stopped working. I’m in a horrible limbo, awaiting test results to determine the next course of action, and hoping against hope that my liver holds out until I can get onto a different medication. I’m absolutely terrified.


I’m not telling you this to garner pity. Believe me, I am living my very best (end of) life. I am surrounded by beautiful family and friends, and immersing myself in art and culture, and generally having as much fun as is humanly possible. I try to find the joy. Every. Single. Day. But some days that’s harder than others. Not least because I know that one day, things will start to deteriorate. And the pain (which on a bad day is already pretty bad) will become intolerable.


I’ve witnessed terminal illness close up. I’ve seen a long, painful, drawn-out death. It was deeply traumatic. I still have nightmares about it. I can still smell it, and taste it. I do not want that for myself. I don’t want that for anyone.


This Bill is urgent. The stakes couldn’t be higher. It is 100 years in the making, and it can’t come soon enough. And much as I’d love to be a medical miracle and defy the odds, if it does pass, it will probably come too late for me. But I’m asking Peers to vote in favour, in the hope that it will save the unnecessary pain and suffering for many hundreds, indeed thousands of people just like me. And their families.


Since becoming part of this campaign, I’ve heard the most harrowing end of life experiences from people I now consider my friends. People like Gareth whose father … blew his head off with a shotgun. And Lucy, whose partner Tom eventually suffocated after hours of faecal vomiting. Every single story breaks my heart all over again. Not least because there could have been another way. And that’s why this vote is so important. It’s a vote for another way. A more progressive, compassionate way. A vote for choice for terminally ill people …


I don’t want to die. Of course I don’t. I am having the time of my life right now. Truly, there’s something about a terminal diagnosis that makes you really live life to the full. But I do have to face reality. I’ve had a pretty good life, and I want a Good Death. I deserve a Good Death. And I would challenge any Peer that votes against, to look me in the eye and tell me why I don’t deserve that. Why don’t I deserve to die in dignity?”


These are the words of my friend, Elise Burns, about a Bill that does not impose choice, but allows it.

NHS: Single-sex Provision for Staff and Patients

Lord Cashman Excerpts

Wednesday 8th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Cashman (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

There is, of course, already a definition in legislation of what that means. I know my noble friend will understand that I cannot predict what the guidance will be, but I will certainly pick up the point she has made.

[Lord Cashman (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I remind your Lordships that I sit as a non-affiliated Member of this House. I encourage the Minister and the department to proceed with the utmost caution. Trans women and trans men pose a threat to no one. In relation to single- sex space, this House has debated the issue frequently. Therefore, does the Minister agree that the Equality Act works, with any measures for exclusion being on a case-by-case basis, proportionate and evidence-based? Will the Minister give the House an assurance that the Government will continue that sensible and humane approach?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I agree with the noble Lord that the legislation provides a clear framework to all employers, but I also accept that some employers may wish to have further guidance on the existing legislation to enable them to make the right local decisions as employers, and it is that that we will consider.

HIV Care: Access

Lord Cashman Excerpts

Wednesday 11th September 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

There is what I call a three-pronged approach to interventions to reduce the number of people not being seen for care, which is so important, as I know the noble Lord is aware: identifying people who have not been seen for care; contacting them and re-engaging them; and addressing the barriers to engagement, which a number of noble Lords have referred to. This means sustaining engagement with care in the long term and supporting people with HIV.

We will review what lessons we are learning from the HIV action plan for England, which runs to 2025, and that means we will be able properly to inform the development of the new plan. I look forward to updating your Lordships’ House on this.

[Lord Cashman (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, we have come a long way since the dark days of the 1980s and 1990s, when many lives were lost. Progress has been made primarily through the work of activists, NGOs, the commitment of Governments and, indeed, the commitment and leadership shown by the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, to whom I pay tribute. But we are seeing greater numbers of people disengaging from HIV care for many reasons, including stigma, mental health issues, poverty, discrimination, and the terrifying fear of isolation within families and communities. Will the Government therefore look at the projects carried out across the country, including in Greater Manchester, and, indeed, as has been mentioned, the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board project, which focused primarily on these issues and groups and successfully reintegrated people back into HIV care? Arguably, this approach must be in any national HIV action plan.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Yes, we will be looking at all the work currently going on and at the successes—and there are many. I believe that my noble friend is referring to Fast-Track Cities, an international initiative involving cities tackling HIV through a multidisciplinary, multi- sectoral approach. There are 13 signatory cities in the UK, and all are beacons of good practice that we must learn from, including in order to find out what is not working. I also want to emphasise peer support, which has been shown to reduce self-stigma, but also to improve engagement in care and the taking of treatment, and to having low levels of virus. This area will obviously very much feature in the new strategy.