argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-02
Topic: Health
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): First, let me caution against sanctimony. This is not a new issue: under the previous Labour Government, children did at times end up in adult wards. That is highly undesirable—everyone recognises that—and we must do everything we can to prevent it, but please do not try to claim that this is an entirely new problem. It is not. The Government have significantly increased the number of beds available, so significantly more are available now than there were in the last decade. The hon. Lady says that she sees increasing numbers of children held in police cells, but let us have some honesty and accuracy in this debate. The number of children who end up in police cells is falling, not increasing. The crisis care concordat, published last February, set a commitment to end the practice of children going into police cells. Indeed, we intend to legislate to ban it, but the numbers are lower than they were so she should not suggest that it is a growing problem—[Interruption.] She did suggest that The hon. Lady asked about my acting on the warning. That is exactly what we did. NHS England carried out a review of clinical judgment on the capacity required to meet children’s needs. As a result, there was a proposal for an increase of 50 beds nationally, focusing on the areas of the country where there was a significant problem, and the Government provided £7 million of additional funding to ensure that those beds were opened. Forty-six beds have opened. There is a temporary problem in Woking, where beds that were available are no longer accepting new admissions. That is a CQC issue. One thing that we have been absolutely steadfast on is that if standards are not being met, we should not continue to admit children to those wards The hon. Lady mentioned psychosis services, but this Government, for the first time ever, introduced a waiting time standard for early intervention in psychosis, which was widely welcomed by everyone in the mental health world. From this April, we start the process of introducing a standard. To start with, 50% of all youngsters who suffer a first episode of psychosis will be seen within two weeks and start their treatment within two weeks. That is an incredibly important advance The hon. Lady lectures the Government on mental health services, but perhaps she will consider why the Labour Government left out mental health when they introduced access and waiting time standards for all other health services. That dictates where the money goes and means that mental health loses out. This Government are correcting that mistake.
Covid-19: Response — House of Lords, 2020-07-27
Topic: Health
Jennifer Jones (Green Party, Left): My Lords, evidence suggests that obesity doubles a patient’s chance of being hospitalised with the virus, hence the Government have put forward a strategy for reducing obesity, which I welcome. However, they could have introduced a sugar tax 10 years ago, which might have resulted in fewer obese Britons now. Is that policy under consideration?
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-02
Topic: Health
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): We want to try to ensure that when there is a crisis, a bed is available locally. With regard to the philosophy of seeking to reduce the tendency to have long periods of in-patient care—institutionalising people—it is absolutely right that we move away from that and focus far more on early intervention, community support and recovery. That is the general trend in progressive views within mental health. However, there must be a bed available when a crisis occurs.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services — House of Commons, 2015-02-02
Topic: Health
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I find it as intolerable as she does, and that is why we are investing to improve access to beds in the locality. Indeed, we identified the hon. Lady’s region as an area where there were shortages of beds for children and young people’s mental health, and we have taken action to increase that number.
Psychoactive Substances Bill [HL] — House of Lords, 2015-07-14
Topic: Health
Molly Christine Meacher (Crossbench, Unknown): My Lords, in moving Amendment 11 I shall also speak to Amendment 12, both of which we debated in Committee. I intend not to repeat anything of the arguments we used then but rather to reflect on developments since. The intention of the amendments is to ensure that all legitimate medicines and substances used for any form of legitimate research are exempted from the scope of this legislation I am most grateful for the Minister’s letter to the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, in which he says that the Government are looking again at the definition of medicinal products in Schedule 1 to ensure that it is fully aligned with existing medicines legislation. The question is what exactly that means. I seek only an assurance from the Minister that the definition will include all medicines prescribed on a named-patient basis and all unlicensed—or any other—psychoactive substances prescribed by a doctor on the basis that the prescription is believed by that doctor to be in the best interests of the patient. My clear understanding is that a doctor can prescribe any medication, even if it is unlicensed or not recognised, so long as they believe that it will help the patient. Many medicines come on to the market which may have been tested in other countries or in other ways but which have not been through UK systems Amendment 12 deals with research. It would be helpful to have an assurance that all legitimate research, including laboratory research, involving psychoactive substances in academic institutions or undertaken by industry will be fully exempted from the scope of the Bill. Alternatively, perhaps the Minister could assure the House that the Government will seek an assurance from the ACMD that whatever wording is used will achieve that objective. We just want all noble Lords to be completely satisfied that these two objectives will be achieved I have added my name to Amendment 24, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Paddick. The aim here, as I understand it, would be to ensure that the regulations exempting medicines and research are in place by the implementation date of the legislation. The wording in the amendment itself is slightly different, but I am sure that that is the intention. No doubt the Minister will comment on this in her response to this group of amendments.
Psychoactive Substances Bill [HL] — House of Lords, 2015-07-14
Topic: Health
Sheila Clare Hollins (Crossbench, Unknown): My Lords, I have added my name to this amendment. I refer to my interests in the register but make it clear that I am speaking in a personal capacity. As a doctor, I think this amendment provides quite an elegant solution to the clear need to make cannabis available for medicinal purposes. That is the point of it. Such a law could address a need that has clearly been there for quite some time and could be used to find a solution to a problem that has found a solution in other countries. I strongly support that. It could facilitate access to cannabis for so many people with long-term conditions such as multiple sclerosis, many of whom might benefit from such provision. I am pleased to support it.
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020 — House of Lords, 2020-07-29
Topic: Health
Amirali Bhatia (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, with the coronavirus in the UK and the world over, it is extremely important that the Government’s policy on how to deal with a pandemic must follow scientific advice. It is not a political issue. Worldwide, tens of thousands of people have perished. I therefore fully support the Government’s lockdown in Leicester, where there was a second spike and those members of the community who got the virus were beginning to go to NHS hospitals, putting pressure on NHS facilities. According to reports, there has been a spike in Oldham, which will require another lockdown In the past, I regularly visited Leicester and found the city thriving with businesses and social facilities, including those for early childhood education, high-class Indian restaurants and gyms and swimming pools. Leicester is one of the most multiracial cities in the UK. In the 1960s and 1970s, Asians from Uganda and other East African countries came to Leicester. They were followed by many others from the sub-continent. It is unfortunate that it has become a victim of Covid-19 and the Government had no choice but to lock down Leicester and surrounding areas My prayers are that the lockdown will reduce the spike by self-isolation, using masks, self-distancing and hand washing. It is good news that test sites have been set up in Leicester. The lockdown will cause considerable financial losses to businesses and the Government must bring in special financial support for businesses and individual families whose incomes will disappear very quickly.
Trade Bill — House of Lords, 2020-12-07
Topic: Health
Natalie Bennett (Green Party, Left): My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Sheehan. I support her Amendment 43 and share her concerns about big pharma, although I would go further and suggest that the profit motive should have no place in healthcare. Chiefly, I will offer three brief paragraphs in support of the cross-party Amendment 11, so ably introduced by the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton Looking at the excellent UNISON briefing on this amendment, I was taken back, as was the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, to the Committee debate on the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill, in which we were discussing the place of artificial intelligence and big data in care and, of course, the dreaded algorithms. Clearly, this will be a fast-growing area of care, needing careful monitoring and democratic oversight, which is what this amendment seeks to achieve. What is decided by Parliament must not be undermined or overturned by free trade agreements. As the medicines Bill debate highlighted, these are big issues and there are huge issues around discrimination and potential misuse—accidental or otherwise—of the data, the algorithms and the whole approach I wish briefly to point noble Lords to the case of Henrietta Lacks in the US, including the treatment of her cells, the treatment of her data and the destruction of her privacy. It is an experience that surely should be studied as we face the loss of the protection of GDPR, as there remains uncertainty about the plans for WTO e-commerce rules and as there is grave concern about the way in which the UK-Japan agreement undermines UK domestic digital and AI regulation in healthcare services.
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 — House of Lords, 2020-10-06
Topic: Health
Amirali Bhatia (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, although the requirement in England limiting group meetings to no more than six people, indoors or outdoors, came into effect on 14 September, data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre has indicated that the incidence rates of Covid-19 around Birmingham are significantly above the national average, and increasing. The data also indicated that a high proportion of the new cases were due to transmission within or between households. The regulations therefore impose tighter restrictions on those living within the protected areas of Birmingham City Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. They prohibit those living within the protected area from gatherings of two or more persons from different households in private dwellings in or out of the protected area, except for linked households as defined The regulations allow visits to care homes only in exceptional circumstances. When the restrictions were announced, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, said: "After seeing cases in the West Midlands continue to rise, the decision has been taken in collaboration with local leaders to ban households mixing in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull." Can the Minister say how many people have been arrested or fined since the rules were declared?
National Health Service — House of Commons, 2015-01-21
Topic: Health
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): In a moment Why does the Labour party claim that the reforms are to blame when there has been no reform in Wales, yet the position there is worse? What people need and want is an open and honest debate about what should be done to secure the future of the NHS. The motion is about the pursuit of votes, not the interests of patients. If Labour Members—
Covid-19 Update — House of Lords, 2020-09-14
Topic: Health
Manzila Pola Uddin (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, in the US 513,000 children have been infected as of 3 September, with 70,630 cases reported in the past two weeks. Only this morning in my locality, all reception classes bar one were shut down due to the Covid infection of a teacher. As a father, the Minister will understand that many parents remain fearful and are seeking assurance and evidence of safety. Holding the Government to account after a tragedy has occurred would be meaningless. What lessons can we learn from our friends in the US and elsewhere about minimising the spread of infection among teachers and children in the UK, with the inevitable consequence of transmission to their homes and vulnerable loved ones in their families?
Health Problems (Poverty) — House of Commons, 2015-11-17
Topic: Health
Thomas Sheppard (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am pleased that the Government accept that there is a causal link between poverty and poor health outcomes. They will also know of the widespread concern that the proposed changes to the tax credits regime will result in greater poverty, which will in itself cause poorer health outcomes and may put great pressure on the NHS. Will the Department consider putting in place mechanisms to monitor the effect of the tax credit changes on demands on the national health service
Medicines and Medical Devices Bill — House of Lords, 2020-09-02
Topic: Health
Margaret Ritchie (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, like many noble Lords who have spoken today, I agree that the provision of high-quality healthcare in which its citizens can all have confidence defines any nation. That is why this Bill, with all its warts, is so important We must always ensure that our ethical practices are of the highest standard. Any medical product available in the UK, or indeed anywhere, must be rigorously tested, safe and effective. That is also particularly true of any future vaccine for Covid-19 However, I want to focus today on one aspect of this Bill, that relating to medical devices. I have long campaigned on the issue of winning justice for pelvic mesh sufferers, who have been left with internal damage and intense, chronic pain. They were failed by an appalling culture of mismanagement, ignorance and apathy within the health system. These victims deserve justice, and we must ensure that this sort of systemic failure never happens again The recent report by the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, entitled First Do No Harm, on surgical mesh and other medical interventions was scathing in its assessment of the failures of a disjointed and defensive health system to listen to and address patient concerns. Much of the suffering, it concluded, was entirely avoidable. As someone who met victims of this appalling mismanagement when I was a Member in the other place and learned at first hand of the pain they had been forced to endure and its effect on their quality of life, I am pleased that this review was commissioned and am happy to support the noble Baroness in her proposals. I am pleased, too, that it was able to be so honest in its findings I am further pleased that the Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Bethell, provided an apology in your Lordships’ House on the 9 July to all the people who have suffered as a result not only of pelvic mesh issues but of certain medications. I am now going to ask the Minister a direct question. Will the recommendations of the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, be reflected in this Bill through government amendments in Committee? I refer in particular to the implementation task force, which must be set up without delay to oversee progress. Like other noble Lords, I believe that that recommendation should be given statutory effect if the Government and Parliament are to take this report seriously. That goes also for the recommendation that a commissioner for patient safety be created In relation to Northern Ireland, there is also the issue of potential regulatory divergence. As medicines are a devolved power but medical devices are not, the Bill in its current form raises the possibility of future regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. That matter requires clarification in relation to the report of the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege, and this Bill. Can the Minister provide that? There is no doubt that such assurances are very necessary, but they should not and will not close the door on the past.
Armed Forces: Covid-19 Deployment — House of Lords, 2020-11-12
Topic: Defense
Gisela Stuart (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, our Armed Forces are a United Kingdom asset that serve all four nations. Of those 420 requests for military aid to the civil authorities, of which 341 are Covid-related, could the Minister tell noble Lords how many came from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland? In addition, 1,600 MoD medics are currently embedded in the NHS. Are there any plans to extend that embedding of MoD personnel in the NHS?
Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Bill — House of Lords, 2015-03-18
Topic: Health
Frederick Richard Penn Curzon (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I understand concerns that noble Lords have raised about the Bill potentially stifling innovation and openness. I assure noble Lords that this is in no way the intention of the Bill. Indeed, the Bill does not place any requirements on providers of healthcare and adult social care registered with the Care Quality Commission. This is achieved through regulations and the associated guidance issued by the CQC. My officials have been in contact with the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, who would be very happy to meet noble Lords to discuss the content of the guidance to ensure that the CQC’s approach to inspection supports continuing reductions in avoidable harm, innovation and supervision and training of staff.
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 — House of Lords, 2020-09-24
Topic: Health
Manzila Pola Uddin (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): Leicester is a vibrant city that I have loved for decades—from the moment I took a government delegation there 22 years ago to examine its outstanding record on community integration and its community leadership from women I echo the many concerns raised by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, particularly with regard to the lack of evident constructive dialogue with the local mayor. I hope that the Minister will remedy this at the earliest opportunity With the knowledge that this disease has taken too many lives, and disproportionately so the lives of minority populations, including significant numbers of those on the front line of the NHS and other critical services, what analysis is under way by our Government to prevent an equally adverse impact as we embark on new challenges and restrictions? Are there lessons applicable to other similar areas I raise the particular concerns drawn to my attention by a number of professionals in the field, including Barnardo’s, on the mental health of young people. Already, one in eight of those aged five to 19 have been diagnosed with mental health conditions, including those who are struggling with grief, loss and bereavement. Among them are those from disadvantaged areas and children of minority heritage who are negotiating additional challenges and barriers of prejudice, racism and religious discrimination. I know that the Government are already committed to programmes to address some of these difficulties, but the Minister will also be aware that CAMHS services are struggling to meet demands and referrals have become cumbersome and delayed Can the Minister say whether he is considering, or will consider, working closely with Barnardo’s and other reputable, long-standing NGOs to meet the excess demand, address the needs of minority heritage children, in particular, and engage with professions that are suitably qualified from these communities? I am happy, given I have the luxury of four minutes, to offer my services as a former child protection officer. But he does not have to take that up; just stick to the professionals if that is what he is comfortable with Is the Minister aware of the new Barnardo’s advert highlighting the impact of losing loved ones? Will he consider adding to these campaigns the Government’s voice and initiatives and mitigate future harms to children, not only in Leicester but elsewhere?
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Obligations of Hospitality Undertakings) (England) Regulations 2020 — House of Lords, 2020-10-09
Topic: Health
Margaret Ritchie (Non-Affiliated, Unknown): My Lords, I thank the Minister for his explanation of the regulations, but I am afraid I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara. Places in the hospitality sector—restaurants and pubs—require financial incentives if they are to overcome these quite stringent regulations, because clearly the debate around these regulations, and the specific ones today, now pivots on the tension between the people’s health and the economy, particularly the hospitality industry There is also an issue in this debate, raised by various noble Lords, about the inconsistency in the type, nature and application of the rules and regulations. Coming from Northern Ireland, I have found that there is a difference in the nature and application of the rules between the Westminster Government and the devolved regions regarding the hospitality sector, probably due to the changing nature of the rate of transmission of the virus, densities of population and levels of poverty. Can the Minister indicate what process is under way to assess the effectiveness of such regulations as they relate to the hospitality industry? From this assessment, will it be possible to adopt best practice across England and the devolved regions, with the maximum impact in reducing the rate of transmission and the number of cases, and uplifting our economy, while complying with the regulations in terms of pubs and restaurants? Also, if such analysis has been done, what learning has been captured, and could this best practice be rolled out throughout the UK?
Mental Health — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Health
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I am so grateful to be reassured, Mr Speaker Mental health is a priority for this Government. We have legislated for parity of esteem between mental and physical health, invested £400 million in talking therapies, significantly reduced the numbers of people who are placed in police cells during mental health crises and are introducing the first waiting times standards for mental health services from April this year.
Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015 — House of Lords, 2015-10-27
Topic: Health
Joan Walmsley (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): My Lords, this whole thing is shameful, but what the Minister has just said is quite unrealistic. In 12 months’ time, when the review is done, one could have undermined the health of hundreds of children, and that, in the future, will cost the NHS a great deal more money. Have the Government taken account of that?