Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2018-03-20
Topic: Health
Questions: Although my younger daughter, being at the discerning age of one, is a particularly fussy eater, childhood obesity is becoming one of the most quickly rising and important issues of our time. Does my right hon. Friend recognise that it is something that we really need to tackle, and quickly?; Head- teachers in my constituency tell me that they are asked by the child and adolescent mental health services to prove that children have tried to commit suicide before CAMHS is prepared to accept a referral. The Minister has just admitted that less than half of children who are referred are treated, and that under the new plans less than two thirds will get treatment. There is so much rationing going on. Will the Secretary of State please commit to improving the amount of ring-fenced funding now?; Will the Secretary of State join me in paying tribute to all the staff of my local Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which he knows very well? Indeed, the Minister—my hon. Friend and neighbour the Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Stephen Barclay)—also knows the hospital very well because it serves his constituency. Does he agree that the hospital has done a superb job this winter, and that assurances and clarity on the current nurses’ pay negotiations will help with both recruitment and retention in the future?; My constituent, Rebecca, is a podiatrist. Last week she told me that the care that she provides is having to be rationed because of a combination of insufficient funding and staff shortages. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the removal of the NHS bursary on the training of future podiatrists, and what action will he take to address the funding shortage?; I thank the Secretary of State for visiting Kettering General Hospital recently. In his opinion, on what main issues does the hospital need to concentrate in order to get itself out of special measures?; This morning I met the family of Alfie Dingley and members of the End Our Pain campaign. Alfie’s case, along with those of Murray Gray and Billy Caldwell—and many, many more—highlight the case for medical cannabis. Will the Minister liaise with the Home Office to introduce medical cannabis for the thousands of people who would benefit, but who do not want to be branded as criminals?; During the first seven weeks of 2018, 10,375 more people died in hospital than in the same weeks in the previous five years—one extra death every seven minutes. It was not colder than usual and deaths from flu were not up, but our hospitals were under unprecedented pressure. Why did all these extra deaths occur?; Over a third of children in the UK are either overweight or obese. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has warned that a trade deal with the US could lead to an influx of junk food with high fat, sugar and salt content. Will the Health Secretary make sure that health is put above trade going forward?
Stephen Charles Brine (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said, we are concerned about child obesity, which is probably the big public health challenge, not least in the impact that it can have on diabetes, heart disease and cancer. That is why I so welcome Cancer Research UK moving into this space. We have one of the most ambitious plans in the world. We have already said that it is the start of a conversation, not the end, and if we need to go further, we will.