The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of shortages in the supply of prescription drugs.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): There are approximately 14,000 medicines licensed for supply in the United Kingdom, and the overwhelming majority are in good supply.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about shortages of prescription drugs”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 30th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of rural pharmacy closures on access to primary care.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): It is the statutory duty of every local authority in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas including those that are rural in nature, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services and where a pharmacy closure impacts on the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about pharmacy provision in rural areas”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 15th July 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made, if any, of how many preventable hospitalisations have occurred as a result of medication shortages caused by Brexit.
Lord Markham (Con, DHSC): The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the United Kingdom as well as the other countries around the world, and it can have a variety of causes, including manufacturing issues, problems with access to raw ingredients, and sudden spikes in demand.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about effects of drug shortages caused by exiting the EU”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 26th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government:
The Bishop of Bristol asked a question on progress in early detection of osteoporosis on 5th February 2024, during a debate on plans to invest in NHS Fracture Liaison Services in England:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Black, for his dedicated work in bringing this important topic to the attention of the House. Around this time a year ago, the noble Lord asked another Question on the early detection of osteoporosis, which is the leading cause of fractures in those aged over 50, particularly women. In his answer, the Minister, who is answering the Question again today, noted that
“a fractured femur is the second biggest reason for intake into hospitals, in terms of beds”—[Official Report, 19/1/23; col. 1926]
and that he would be happy to report on progress on this to the House. Will he tell us whether any progress has been made since he gave that answer one year ago?
Continue reading “Bishop of Bristol asks about early detection methods for osteoporosis”The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 31st Janaury 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.
Continue reading “Bishop of Chelmsford asks about medical care for migrant detainees at MOD Wethersfield”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 10th January 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the Health Foundation report, Doing more for less?, published on 12 December, that (1) primary care network (PCN) funding is currently not sufficient to cover the additional challenges in areas of high deprivation, and (2) the current PCN contract focuses on addressing inequalities within PCNs, but not between PCNs.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about insufficiencies in primary care networks”The Bishop of London tabled a question for short debate on the impact of the proposed removal of free prescriptions for benefit claimants who fail to look for work on 30th November 2023:
The Lord Bishop of London: To ask His Majesty’s Government what impact the removal of free prescriptions for benefit claimants who fail to look for work will have on their health, and the health of the workforce.
My Lords, I start by thanking your Lordships’ House for giving time for this important debate. I also thank the House of Lords Library for its very helpful briefing and the Minister for his engagement with me and for our helpful meeting earlier this week about this debate.
The measures we are discussing today relate to the announcement that the Government made in the Back to Work Plan and the Autumn Statement that people on universal credit who do not engage in activities designed to increase their skills and improve their employability after 18 months of support will have their claim terminated. With that termination, their accompanying passported benefits, including free prescriptions, will also be stopped.
Benefit claimants may disengage from Jobcentre Plus for many reasons, some of which I suspect we do not completely understand, and not solely because they have failed to look for work. I have brought this debate forward from a health perspective, and the central frame of my remarks today is around health inequalities, because the Back to Work Plan as it stands could serve to exacerbate these inequalities. There are many complexities within universal credit, and many exemptions and allowances that are made for vulnerabilities and medical conditions that are to be commended. I was grateful to hear about some of them at the meeting I had earlier in the week with the Minister and officials from DWP and DHSC. I understand that the number of people who will be affected by this is small: they are those without a vulnerability that would exempt them from having their claim ended, and who do not have an additional factor attached to their claim.
Continue reading “Bishop of London leads debate on impact of the removal of free prescriptions for benefits claimants”On 30th November 2023, the Bishop of London took part in a debate marking the 75th Anniversary of the NHS, paying tribute to the NHS workforce and urging greater support for healthcare workers and community care:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I declare my interests in the register. It is a privilege to participate in this debate about one of our most valued institutions and to follow some excellent contributions. One of the focuses of my work in this House has been reducing health inequalities. The NHS was founded in the face of extreme inequality, in the hope that financial means would not be the sole determinant of health. The universal service that is free at the point of use is something we can be extremely proud of.
The 75th anniversary of the NHS is very close to the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation, which I will celebrate today. As we know, many of the passengers on HMT “Empire Windrush” took up roles in the NHS, which launched just two weeks later. When experiencing workforce shortages from 1948 onwards, British politicians visited the Caribbean as part of a recruitment programme that had 16 agencies in the British colonies by 1955. By 1977, 66% of overseas student nurses and midwives originated from the Caribbean. In the face of overt racism and unequal opportunities for professional development, their contribution has been truly extraordinary. Without it, the health service would not be what it is today.
Continue reading “Bishop of London speaks in debate marking 75 year anniversary of the NHS”
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