Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Treatment of Terminal Illness

26 November 2024 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Siobhain McDonagh raised concerns about treatment of terminal illness in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Advances in medical science are not benefiting people diagnosed with rare cancers in the UK, who receive outdated treatments.
  • The Bill aims to protect clinicians and allow terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments as is allowed in Germany.
  • The proposal seeks to address the culture of fear among NHS professionals regarding unapproved treatments.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden

Advances in medical science are not benefiting people diagnosed with rare cancers in the UK, who receive outdated treatments. The Bill aims to protect clinicians and allow terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments as is allowed in Germany under the Individuelle Heilversuche law. It seeks to address the culture of fear among NHS professionals regarding unapproved treatments and proposes extending individual treatment programmes to those with terminal diagnoses.

Other contributors (1)
  • Siobhain McDonagh Lab Mitcham and Morden

    The Bill aims to allow terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments, as permitted in Germany. It highlights the cases of Laura and Zoe who found more effective treatment abroad when NHS options were inadequate or outdated. The initiative seeks to end the practice of forcing vulnerable individuals to travel overseas for better care at significant expense.

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