Spinal Cord Injuries Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown
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Spinal Cord Injuries
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown Excerpts(11 years, 2 months ago)
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Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this afternoon, Dr McCrea. I am pleased to see that the Minister is here for this debate on the important topic of continuing health care for spinal cord injured people. The all-party group on spinal cord injury has had some difficulty engaging with Ministers over the past two years. The Health Minister with responsibility for quality, Lord Howe, and more recently the Minister for Housing, the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), have both refused to meet the group, which is very unfortunate.
The advantage of engagement is that it enables Ministers to understand better the needs and difficulties of individuals who have to deal with severe spinal cord injuries. Such individuals face great hardship and difficulty, and Ministers should at least be prepared to engage with them and hear what they have to say. I am sure that the Minister will do so today.
I first became aware of the difficulties faced by spinal cord injured people during my work as a practising personal injury solicitor before I came to the House about 12 years ago. I was particularly engaged with the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injury at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital in Oswestry. Individuals were often admitted with severe spinal injuries from accidents, and the capacity of the—[Interruption.]
Dr William McCrea (in the Chair)
Order. I apologise to the hon. Gentleman, but I must suspend proceedings for a Division in the House.