National Health Service: Pensions Tax

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts

Wednesday 30th October 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford]

As usual, my noble friend speaks with alacrity and force. It has been made quite clear by the Treasury that it will look at the impact on front-line services across the system and not just in the NHS. I am of course speaking for the Department of Health and Social Care, but where sensible evidence is brought forward by other services, it will be looked at by the Treasury in its review.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)]

My Lords, is the Minister not aware that when she speaks from that Front Bench she speaks for the entire Government, not just for the department for which she works? Anybody speaking in this House as a Minister speaks for the whole Government. The noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, is entirely right: the idea that, although we know what the problem is, there will be no implementation until the spring is unacceptable. This has to be done much sooner than that.

[Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford]

I apologise if I gave the noble Baroness the impression that there will be no action before the spring. NHS Employers has already published guidance for employers that would mitigate the effect of pension tax on their work force in this tax year. In addition, consultation is under way to allow measures to come into place in April. The Treasury is also looking at the effect of the allowance and taking further action with effect not just for NHS workers but for those who work across the public sector where there is evidence of an impact on front-line workers. I hope that that reassures the noble Baroness and the entire House.

Brexit: Import of Radioisotopes

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts

Thursday 7th March 2019 Lords Chamber

Tabled by

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a ‘no deal’ Brexit on the import of radioisotopes which are vital to the diagnosis and the treatment of cancer patients.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask a Question of which I have given private notice.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford) (Con)]

My Lords, the Government have been working very closely with the Royal College of Radiologists and the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that the NHS has robust contingency plans in place so that patients can continue to have access to medicines, including medical radioisotopes, whatever the EU exit outcome. Yesterday, the Royal College of Radiologists published sensible and pragmatic guidance to specialist NHS clinicians, which the Government support, to ensure that all necessary operational planning has taken place before 29 March.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean]

My Lords, the Royal College of Radiologists, the British Nuclear Medicine Society and the UK Radiotherapy Board have all stated categorically that Brexit, particularly a no-deal Brexit, will mean delays in the supply of imported radioisotopes, which are so vital to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. I too have read the guidance the Minister referred to, but does she agree that all these authorities are not convinced anti-Brexiteers trying to sensationalise the position? They are experienced and skilled in prolonging and saving the lives of cancer patients and they are clear that a no-deal Brexit will put already vulnerable patients at risk, while an extension of Article 50 will improve matters considerably. Does she further agree that while these authorities are making this point, if there were no other reason than that, the risk to people who may be diagnosed or may already have cancer is reason enough to take no deal off the table now?

[Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford]

I thank the noble Baroness for this. It is a very important question that she has raised. The Government’s first priority is to ensure continuity of care and patient safety, no matter the outcome of EU exit. That is why we have been putting important medical supply and contingency plans in place for the unlikely event of a no deal, even though that is not the Government’s plan.

The guidelines issued by the Royal College of Radiologists were in response to the plans from two major suppliers, representing at least 80% of the market, which have arranged contracts for air freight capacity to commence this month for the supply of radioisotopes. It is important to note that many isotopes already use air freight, and their deliveries will see no change in their arrival arrangements. Of course, the supply in these routes is relevant because radioisotopic materials have a short half-life, and therefore these changes, although minor, will have an impact on clinical pathways.

It is absolutely right for the Royal College of Radiologists to put some guidelines in place, and we have been working closely with it, the Department of Health and NHS England to offer clinics practical advice in allowing adjustment in their clinical processes. We do not expect any patient harm to arise from this, and the changes in clinical pathways and practice are expected to be minor and short-lived. We do not expect any delays or increased waiting times to arise from this; this is straightforward, practical advice to support clinics in adapting to changes in delivery times.

I hope that is a reassuring Answer for the noble Baroness, and that it has clarified what was, I think, some sensationalist media reporting of the advice.

Children: Gender Dysphoria

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts

Wednesday 17th October 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

It is important to distinguish the provisions of the Gender Recognition Act from the health services provided for people with gender dysphoria. Nevertheless I take the noble Baroness’s comments on board; I know some concerns over the document have been raised with the Government Equalities Office, which has responsibility for it; the Department of Health does not have direct responsibility.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)]

My Lords, this is an issue not only for children in this country but in many countries throughout Europe and, particularly, in the United States. Will the Minister tell us what mechanisms exist for exchanging information between the countries that recognise this problem, which is a genuine problem in many families? What mechanisms are there for exchange of information on how best to deal with it?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

The noble Baroness is right that this is an international trend; we see in many countries similar figures for people coming forward, although, frankly, some cultures deal with the issue better than others. I am sure there are international health forums—indeed, I know there are—that deal with trans health issues and I can write to her with specific details

NHS: Nurse Retention

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts

Wednesday 17th January 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

The noble Baroness is quite right. We know that housing costs are an issue, particularly in the south of England and cities, which is why we want to use the sale of surplus NHS land to deliver more homes specifically for nurses and other similar professionals. She is also right to talk about flexible working, which comes up time and again in staff surveys. The use of nursing banks can be very helpful in that regard, and we have seen a big switch away from agencies towards using such banks for those places that need to be filled temporarily.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Lab)]

My Lords, the Minister talked about the number of nurses on wards; can he say something about the numbers in accident and emergency departments? I had occasion recently to go with somebody to accident and emergency. The person in question was in dire straits and, when I spoke to the sister in charge, she said that there were waits of six, seven, eight hours every night in accident and emergency in that hospital in a major town in Wiltshire. Can the Minister tell us whether accident and emergency is being properly addressed and when he last had occasion to speak to a sister in charge about what is really happening?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

The kind of waits that the noble Baroness has pointed to are clearly unacceptable. People should not have to wait that long in A&E and that is why we have the target. I accept that it happens but it is unacceptable. We know that the NHS is under huge pressure at this time of year. There have been, as I pointed out, more nurses in A&E and in wards in general—indeed, there are more emergency doctors as well. But we accept that there is a need for more, because of the growing needs of the population.