Tag: NHS

Bishop of Sheffield asks about integration of adult social care with the NHS

The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question on building awareness of adult social care in the NHS workforce on 26th June 2025, during a discussion on integration between the two services:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: In the light of the 2023 Hewitt review into integrated care systems, how are the Government building greater awareness of adult social care in the NHS workforce in order to enable greater collaboration?

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Bishop of Sheffield asks about conditions at Doncaster Royal Infirmary

The Bishop of Sheffield tabled a question on the impact of the conditions at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on patient care on 12th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the conditions at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on patient care.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about cosmetic procedure licencing and problem gambling services

The Lord Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 12th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 7 November 2024 (HL1998), when they intend to publish feedback to the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures consultation, which ran from 2 September to 28 October 2023.

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Bishop of London asks about prioritizing frontline patient care during NHS England transition

The Bishop of London asked a question on prioritising front line patient care during times of transition on 19th March 2025, following a government statement on NHS England:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I declare my interest as indicated by the noble Baroness, in that I am a former government Chief Nursing Officer. Following on from the noble Lord’s point, this is a very significant change not just to the NHS but to its workforce. We know from looking back that when there is a reorganisation of the NHS, attention and funds are distracted away from the front line and patient care. The announcement came on the same day as the publication of the NHS staff survey results, which highlighted that only 31% felt that there were enough staff to enable them to do their job, and that 45% felt unwell due to work-related stress. What action will the Government take to make sure that there is not a management distraction, through this reorganisation, away from the front line and patient care in particular? How will staff be supported during this transition, not least those who, I suspect, fear that their jobs are now under threat?

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Bishop of St Albans tables question on national programme for prostate cancer screenings

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on establishing a national programme for prostate cancer screenings on 27th February 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a national screening programme for prostate cancer.

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Bishop of London asks about reducing health inequalities

The Bishop of London asked a question on building partnerships with faith and community groups to address health inequalities on 26th February 2025, following a discussion on incorporating chiropractors into national musculoskeletal health prevention strategies:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, according to the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance report on health inequalities and deprivation, an important way to reduce health inequalities in these conditions, particularly in those groups of people who are underserved, is to help them to manage their own conditions. Often it is much harder because they often have more than one complex condition; often they are much more complex and are picked up much later. One of the recommendations was around moving NHS care into the community. Could the Minister tell us what the Government are doing to encourage the NHS to build partnerships with community groups, including faith groups, to seek to reduce inequalities in these conditions and communities?

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Votes: National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill

On 25th February 2025, the House of Lords debated the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which a bishop took part:

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Bishop of St Albans asks about digital exclusion in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on digital exclusion in rural areas on 7th January 2025, following a government statement on health and adult social care reform:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I am grateful to His Majesty’s Government for trying to get cross-party agreement on this really important issue; it is important that it does not get lost in party politics. It is good to hear about the improvements to the NHS app, which is working quite well in some areas already. However, some people are digitally excluded, and there is a lack of connectivity in rural areas. How are we going to ensure that these groups are not excluded as we go forward with this important work?

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Bishop of London asks about leadership in heathcare

The Bishop of London asked a question on leadership and productivity in the healthcare service on 5th December 2024:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, productivity is now often spoken of in relation to the National Health Service, which the Minister mentioned in his Answer to the Question. The Health Foundation looked at NHS productivity and identified maintaining morale and motivating the workforce as key to it. Alongside essential things such as targets, what effort are the Government making to continue softer leadership, including listening to the workforce and fostering good industrial relations?

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Bishop of London speaks in debate on the importance of fracture liaison services

The Bishop of London spoke in a debate on fracture liaison services on 4th December 2024, highlighting the importance of the service for vulnerable communities and as an early intervention:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is very good to participate in this important debate on the fracture liaison service, especially since the issue of prevention in healthcare seems to be gathering pace. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Black, for having moved this debate.

We have heard that the fracture liaison service identifies people at risk of osteoporosis and reduces the risk of long-term fractures. Treatment provided by the fracture liaison service is often excellent, and often nurse-led. But, as we have heard, there are just not enough of them. Like many aspects of healthcare that we discuss in your Lordships’ House, provision varies by region, and there are also other inequalities of access to these services. We know that bone density decline can be accelerated by other factors, including smoking, diet and other illness.

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