Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Givinostat
Debate between Lord Kakkar and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord touches on a very sensitive matter that could be replicated around a variety of issues. Looking for more people to come forward is a perpetual challenge, and I am sure that everything should be done to encourage people to do so. I am sure that many people do not know that this is an issue, and some promotion could be helpful.
Lord Kakkar (CB)
I draw the House’s attention to my registered interest as chairman of King’s Health Partners. The 10-year plan recently published by His Majesty’s Government, with regard to the future of the NHS, puts at its very centre the adoption of innovation at scale and pace to transform the health service and secure its sustainability. What arrangements are in place, and what assessment is being made of those mechanisms? In particular, do His Majesty’s Government have a view about advancing the opportunity for early adoption of innovation in such a way that the kinds of problems we have heard about in this short Question are not repeated on several occasions, and the ambition to transform the health service with innovation is not frustrated?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord raises a crucial point: there is no point having all the work going into innovation if we cannot implement it. It is at the centre of the 10-year plan. A process is being worked up to look at how we can bring the best of our innovation and technological advancement into clinical practice. I am grateful for his input into this area, and I know that this will be taken very seriously as we move forward.
NHS England: Staff Costs
Debate between Lord Kakkar and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
Tackling health inequalities is one of the priorities of this Government, but the noble Lord raises an important point. It is a sad fact that, around the country, people’s experience of health services and health outcomes are very variable. However, we need to allow the people looking into this to do their work and bring forward solutions, working with ICBs and looking at how we can become far more efficient in our delivery of services. That will ultimately have an enormous benefit to patients.
Lord Kakkar (CB)
My Lords, I draw noble Lords’ attention to my registered interest as chairman of King’s Health Partners. At the time when the decision was taken for NHS England to be fully incorporated into the Department of Health and Social Care, two other important agencies were completing their incorporation into NHS England—namely, NHS Digital and Health Education England. The functions of those two agencies in marshalling NHS data and its analysis and in providing for the continuing development of the NHS workforce are critical. Is the Minister able to confirm how those important functions are being protected during this period of transition of NHS England into the department?