The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th March 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
On 20th March 2025, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question he had tabled on the impact of reduced pharmacy opening hours:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential reduction in pharmacy opening hours.
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The Bishop of London asked a question on support for integrated care boards to enable VCSE involvement on 19th March 2025, during a discussion on barriers to safe housing and hospital discharge:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, the VCSE sector plays a critical role in discharge planning. The Minister may know of a project in Warrington, where a social prescribing link worker and the VCSE team are integrated into the discharge team, and are therefore able to support people on discharge. The pilot has been positive, not least in that it has reduced readmission into hospital. Could the Minister say what support the Government are giving to integrated care boards so that they can enable this type of innovative provision? Can she reassure us that the aspiration to cut the ICBs by 50% will not impact on that potential?
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The Bishop of London asked a question on the need to tackle root causes of ill health on 18th March 2025, following a government statement on welfare reform:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I welcome the Government’s focus on and increased investment in supporting people back into good work, and the proposed safeguards through the right to try guarantee. However, I am intrinsically wary of attempts to address the drivers of ill health through the social security system, rather than tackling root causes. We do not know yet the content of the NHS plan. Supporting people who are currently claiming incapacity benefits into work will put considerable pressure on an already stressed health system. What steps is the Minister’s department taking to work with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that the right support is available for people with physical and mental health needs?
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The Bishop of London asked a question on addressing wider issues in health inequalities in relation to healthy eating on 18th March 2025, during a discussion on the success of the soft drinks industry levy:
The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, we know well that diet and nutrition, and the infrastructure from which we can access the food that we eat, determine our health. These things continue to be unequal. The proportion of household income required to afford to follow the Eatwell Guide is 11% in the least deprived areas and 45% in the most deprived areas. What consideration will be given in the NHS plan to these wider issues—including the merits of reformulation policies—to improve the critical determinants of health?
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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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The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on social, ethnic, and religious barriers preventing those in disadvantaged areas from seeking cancer treatment on 10th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, a year ago this very afternoon, this very moment, I was in a surgery having a radical prostatectomy. I pay tribute to Professor Vasdev and his amazing team at Lister Hospital for the exceptional treatment I received. He is one of many fabulous people working in our NHS. The discrepancies, though, of diagnosis and treatment are stark in different parts of the country. Having worked in some of the more disadvantaged areas in the past, I am acutely aware of those. What are His Majesty’s Government’s going to do, as the plan is developed, to ensure that we look at the religious, social and ethnic barriers which are stopping groups coming forward to receive diagnosis and treatment? Will they particularly focus on how we can address these to try to support those in the most disadvantaged parts of our country?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about barriers to cancer treatment”The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on support for research centres during a discussion on avian influenza on 4th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, research is absolutely fundamental at this point as we monitor what is going on and its very worrying effects. What are His Majesty’s Government doing to support centres such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency in New Haw, which is trying to work on this and desperately needs to redevelop its facilities?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about avian influenza research”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th January 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of parents illegally accessing cannabinoid epilepsy treatments for their children.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about use of unregulated epilepsy treatments”The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 23rd January 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research by Cambridge University and Fudan University showing a link between social isolation and the increased risk of heart disease, stroke and infections; and what steps they intend to take to address loneliness in the UK.
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