Author Archives: GovWorldMag

This will mean more and more patients waiting longer and longer in pain, discomfort and distress for elective operations – Jonathan Ashworth

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to NHS England’s Board Meeting confirming waiting times standards will not be met next year, said:

“NHS England’s unprecedented confirmation that NHS constitution waiting times standards ‘will not be fully funded and met next year’ is the direct result of Philip Hammond’s failure to give the NHS the funding it needed in the recent Budget.

“Today NHS bosses have effectively conceded that the 18 week target for treatment can’t be met given continued underfunding of the NHS.

“This will mean more and more patients waiting longer and longer in pain, discomfort and distress for elective operations. This is the real debilitating impact on patients’ quality of life as a result of Tory austerity.

“What’s more, there are serious questions about the legality of effectively abandoning a standard of care enshrined in the NHS constitution. As a matter of urgency Jeremy Hunt must now tell us whether he intends to amend the law and the NHS Constitution through legislation and publicly accept his Government’s funding squeeze is jeopardizing legally guaranteed standards of patient care.”

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Labour •

Autism and Mental Health Services

Autism is a condition which affects around 700,000 children and adults. It can also be associated with mental health disorders. I have been a keen supporter of the Government’s wish to do more to improve our mental health services.

The Government has made great strides with their Think Autism Strategy, and the accompanying statutory guidance. It sets out best-practice for providing high-quality care, and clarifies that local authorities and CCGs should work together to provide post-diagnostic services for people with autism and co-existing mental health problems.

I am aware that challenges still remain, particularly for young people who can be excluded from accessing mental health services because of their autism.
The Government wants to achieve “parity of esteem” between mental and physical health, in terms of access to services, quality of care and allocation of resources. The Secretary of State has promised that an extra £1.3bn will be invested annually in mental health services by 2021.

With this in mind I have written to the Secretary of State to ask him what can be done to provide autism specific mental health services. I shall post his reply when I receive it.

In the meantime I would ask any constituents who are having difficulties in obtaining services to contact me.

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John Redwood MP •

Greens: “Latest detention statistics reveal catalogue of horrors”

30 November 2017

Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Bartley has respnded to the release of the latest asylum detention statistics, labelling them a “catalogue of horrors.”

The data, released this morning by the government [1], appears to show that:

– The total of number of asylum seekers detained in British detention centres has increased in the last quarter by 522

– The number of children detained in the last quarter has increased by 12

– The number who have been deported has also increased by 44

– The longest resident of a detention seeker has now been there 1845 days, over 5 years

Mr Bartley said:

“The publication today of the latest detention statistics reveals a catalogue of horrors. Britain is detaining more asylum seekers, more children, and doing this for longer. And rather than help asylum seekers find refuge, more and more are just being sent back to the countries they came from – often to face torture and death. These statistics highlight an asylum system which fails to reach basic levels decency and humanity.

“Rather than locking up people indefinitely, the government should be looking at how it can welcome, settle, and support asylum seekers. Britain should be processing asylum claims in local communities and offering far more support to help asylum seekers get on in this country – things like English lessons, training, and counselling to help them overcome the horrors they have faced. The current system is a shame on Britain and a shame on this government.”

Notes

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662536/detention-jul-sep-2017-tables.ods 

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Green Party •