NHS: Treatment of Children from Other Countries

Baroness Watkins of Tavistock Excerpts

Thursday 21st November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am very happy to add my congratulations to the hospital, which my noble friend knows very well. There are several approaches that we take on donors. One is the increased use of technology to ensure that organs donated can be used when and where needed. We tend to lose a lot of organs because that is not possible to do, depending on the technology. Another approach is to ensure that organ donation is a route that people are assured they can take, feel confident in, and are willing to participate in, including where somebody has died and we must deal very delicately, of course, with their loved ones.

[Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (CB)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as a member of the board of NHS England. Clearly we need to meet the needs of our own population at the moment but also need to retain staff, and there could be a real opportunity for working with the overseas development aid budget to enable exchange sabbaticals between Commonwealth countries and staff here in relation to these special services, so that children from Commonwealth countries who otherwise would not have access to these rare treatments could do so both here and abroad. Could the Minister talk with the ODA department to see whether such an initiative could be developed?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I will certainly ensure that officials take up the suggestion of the noble Baroness to explore possibilities.