Health and Social Care

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Thursday 12th October 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

There has been a 20-year search for a solution to this problem. It was not me who said that; it was the chief inspector of hospitals, who said:

“I think the one thing I regret is that 15 or 20 years ago when we could see the change in the population the NHS did not change its model of care”.


This is something we have all grappled with, but we have not yet come up with the solution that we need. That is why, through this consultation, we will be looking not just at finance but at quality of care, variation and sustainable staffing to rebuild the consensus that we need to move forward.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

Given that the report has pointed out that staff resilience is not inexhaustible and that services are at breaking point, do the Government recognise the enormous contribution of voluntary sector providers, particularly—I declare my interest in the area—in palliative and end-of-life care and hospice services, which are maintaining patients in the community and taking a great deal of pressure off statutory services? Are the Government giving any consideration to a national funding formula, such as I propose in my Access to Palliative Care Bill, which has had its First Reading?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

I join the noble Baroness in paying tribute to voluntary sector providers and volunteers, whether family members or others, who support care throughout the NHS and social care. There need to be more paid staff to meet the needs of our growing and ageing population, which is why the Secretary of State announced a 25% increase in the number of training places and more nursing associates. That is being put in place to make sure that the system, which is described in the report as stretched, has the capacity it needs to meet patients’ needs.