"My Lords, when working as a district nurse in 1981, I worked with an elderly male patient who had a rat in a cage as a pet. I made a rookie mistake that I would not make now: I said I was frightened of it. The next time I visited, …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"My Lords, I want to make the point that the Companion asks us not to read long speeches if people have already made the points in the section that we are discussing. When we were dealing with the Mental Health Act, which I think was equally important, I had written …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"I want to draw attention to the fact that I raised this issue two days previously in Committee. It is essential that we retain staff, particularly nursing staff, who would object to anything to do with assisted dying. That can be achieved, as I said earlier, by enabling people, when …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"I thank the Minister for her reply, but I want to understand when a credible long-term delivery plan will be published—rather than “in the near future”—to restore year-round resilience, making whole-system patient flow a core performance priority. Unnecessary stays in hospital are linked to worse patient outcomes, and it should …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the provision of corridor care in the NHS; and what plans they have to mitigate any issues arising...." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"My Lords, the greatest mistrust in politics at the moment is among young graduates, who have seen all three parties renege on promises in relation to student loans. Significantly high interest rates, with repayment at 9%, mean that the majority of young graduates are paying much more tax than the …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"My Lords, I will speak briefly to support the amendment in principle. I wonder whether we could get one or two simple targets to measure as indicators of potential poverty. Yesterday, a new report came out called, It’s Like Torture: Life in Temporary Accommodation for Neurodivergent Children and …..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"There is a Division in the House. The Committee will adjourn and resume after 10 minutes.
The Division has been cancelled. If noble Lords are content that everybody is back who needs to be, the Committee stands resumed...." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech
"My Lords, I had not intended to speak on this group but, as the only nurse present, I want to say that nobody could deny the principles of the amendments that are being discussed today. They are right and proper in respect of good health care for the nation.
"My Lords, what is His Majesty’s Government’s strategy to ensure that health visiting advice is available to parents, particularly in rural areas where there can be extreme difficulty in getting a child to the specialist hubs that the Government are introducing, which I so welcome?..." Baroness Watkins of Tavistock - View Speech