We’ll be having daily deeper and more detailed look at the party’s main theme. Today it’s mental health. Nick Clegg and Norman Lamb this morning said that Liberal Democrats (or should that be Democats?) would invest £3.5 billion in mental health over the next Parliament. Part of our record in Government includes securing £150 million […]
Op-eds
Opinion: Plain Packaging: Will Tobacco Be the End or Just the Beginning?
While I think I was pleased to see the vote by MPs earlier this month, introducing plain packaging for tobacco products, it did also set off faint alarm bells – with me at least. There is something rather drastic about passing a law that requires legally produced and distributed goods to be wrapped in plain […]
Annette Brooke MP writes…Choice at the end of life is vital – free social care can make that happen
There are no dress rehearsals when it comes to where we are and who we are with when we die – so it’s crucial that people have as much choice and control over the situation as possible. This is important not only to the person who is at the end of their life, but also […]
Opinion: Time to dump the 4 hour A & E target
View image | gettyimages.com To be frank, as a doctor, I have been underwhelmed by our Liberal Democrat offering on health issues over the years; certainly we are not as strong on health as we should be. The almost daily drip feed from the right wing press on NHS shortcomings and failures is demoralising to […]
Norman Lamb writes… Extra funding for the NHS is a Lib Dem priority right now
As a society we are judged by the way that we care for the vulnerable, the elderly, and those suffering from illness. Britain can be proud that in 1948 we led the world in laying the foundations for a universal health service, available to all regardless of wealth. And we continue to lead the world […]
Opinion: What Andy Burnham didn’t tell you about NHS privatisation
Andy Burnham’s recent set-piece speech on the NHS, the latest instalment of Labour’s “summer offensive”, opened with a neat bit of scene-setting. By briefly championing a group of Darlington mothers who are presently marching 300 miles in protest at the use of private providers in the NHS, he conjured a mood of protest while subtly […]
Paul Burstow MP writes… Making the pursuit of happiness as important as GDP
Over the past 12 months I have been working with mental health experts and the think-tank CentreForum, grappling with the challenge of how we can improve mental health care. Today sees the publication of our final report, The pursuit of happiness: a new ambition for our mental health. It reflects the expertise of many, makes […]
Norman Lamb MP writes: Ending face down restraint
I am sure that many of you will remember the stories about the Winterbourne View scandal a couple of years ago. Vulnerable residents with autism and learning difficulties were subjected to shocking abuse from those who should have been protecting and caring for them. The review that was carried out into the scandal highlighted the […]
Norman Lamb MP writes: Ending face down restraint
I am sure that many of you will remember the stories about the Winterbourne View scandal a couple of years ago. Vulnerable residents with autism and learning difficulties were subjected to shocking abuse from those who should have been protecting and caring for them. The review that was carried out into the scandal highlighted the […]
Norman Lamb MP writes: Ending face down restraint
I am sure that many of you will remember the stories about the Winterbourne View scandal a couple of years ago. Vulnerable residents with autism and learning difficulties were subjected to shocking abuse from those who should have been protecting and caring for them. The review that was carried out into the scandal highlighted the […]