Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Covid-19: Deteriorating Long-Term Health Conditions

10 March 2022 · 7 other contributors · 12,997 words

Opened by Bob Neill Con Bromley and Chislehurst

Responding minister: Gillian Keegan

NHS

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Bob Neill raised concerns about covid-19: deteriorating long-term health conditions in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Mr Neill is concerned about the deterioration in people with long-term health conditions due to cancelled or delayed appointments and reduced specialist support during the pandemic.
  • Mr Neill calls for an urgent plan with funding and specific measures, including a national rehabilitation strategy and a national clinical lead, to address the issues faced by people with long-term health conditions.
  • The Minister thanks Mr Neill for raising the issue and extends best wishes to Mr Neill's wife, Ann-Louise, acknowledging her influence on his speech.

Key requests to Government

Mr Neill calls for an urgent plan with funding and specific measures to address the issues faced by people with long-term health conditions. He asks the Government to provide a national rehabilitation strategy, appoint a national clinical lead, and ensure consistent provision of community rehabilitation services.

How the debate unfolded

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

Opened the debate

Bob Neill Con Bromley and Chislehurst

Mr Neill is concerned about the deterioration in people with long-term health conditions during the covid-19 pandemic. He highlights issues such as cancelled or delayed appointments, reduced specialist support, and difficulties for those relying on community rehabilitation services. The debate focuses on stroke, cardiovascular conditions, neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, and cystic fibrosis, each of which has faced unique challenges due to the pandemic's restrictions.

Other contributors (7)
  • Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton

    Andrew Gwynne highlighted the impact of the pandemic on long-term healthcare, citing reduced support for rehabilitation services, a nearly 6% fall in dementia diagnosis rates, and long waiting times for cancer treatment. He also mentioned the growing number of long covid sufferers, over 1.5 million people with symptoms lasting more than a year, and called for urgent action to address mental health issues.

  • Elliot Colburn Con Carshalton and Wallington

    Mr Colburn highlighted the tragic impact of covid-19 on individuals with long-term conditions, particularly those with dementia. He noted that in his constituency alone, over 2,400 people are living with dementia and this number is expected to rise by 25% to over 3,000 by 2030. Mr Colburn mentioned the challenges faced during the pandemic due to social isolation and restricted access to rehabilitation services, which led to accelerated progression of conditions.

  • Grahame M. Morris Lab Easington

    The delays in care for those with pre-existing conditions are unacceptable, leading to increased hospital admissions and longer recovery times.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Shannon expressed concerns about the impact of the pandemic on schoolchildren, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed individuals, and those with untreated conditions. He highlighted personal experiences of long-term health impacts and the need for better support services. Shannon also mentioned delays in treatments leading to lost opportunities and emphasized the detrimental effects of dementia and Alzheimer's on patients' quality of life. Jim Shannon requested specific information on support for those waiting for eyesight-saving operations due to delays caused by the pandemic.

  • Jonathan Ashworth Lab Leicester East

    I have visited several hospitals and seen the deterioration of long-term health conditions among patients due to delayed treatments during the pandemic.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Ms Maskell highlighted the challenges faced by people with long-term health conditions during and after the pandemic. She noted that rehabilitation sessions were fewer, leading to a decrease in patient function. The speaker emphasized the importance of community intervention for chronic phase recovery and discussed the impact of comorbidity on patients' ability to manage their conditions effectively. Maskell also raised concerns about the lack of adequate physical contact in telehealth settings and the potential exclusion of long-term condition sufferers from health services due to rising pressures on NHS resources.

  • Steven Bonnar SNP Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

    Mr Bonnar cited a doctor's observation that many are presenting with severe conditions due to missed appointments during the pandemic. He highlighted Scotland's investment in healthcare, including £20 million for community living change and a 20% increase in NHS frontline spending compared to England. He questioned why similar initiatives cannot be implemented in England and Wales.

Government Response

Gillian Keegan

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir Robert Neill) for raising this very important issue, and for his proud advocacy for patients with many different long-term conditions who rely on NHS services, particularly those who have had a stroke. I extend my best wishes to my hon. Friend's wife, Ann-Louise, who I am sure informed much of his powerful speech. Many of the experiences we have heard about will resonate with many of us. I want to reassure all hon. Members that we remain committed to making sure that everyone has access to the care and support that they need and deserve. We know we have to catch up after the impact of the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked to maintain access to health services in what has been an extremely challenging environment, but we recognise that getting that support at the right time is vital for people's health. That is why we protected priority services across England during the pandemic, which included rehabilitation and post-acute services, for people who had survived a stroke, and their families and carers. NHS England and Improvement supported people with long-term conditions by providing safe and person-centred assessments and diagnosis via remote methods or in face-to-face consultations when appropriate. Providers innovated and rolled out remote consultations using video, telephone, email and text message services, and health services implemented new models of care with effective triage processes to make sure that patients received the care appropriate to them and in outpatient settings closer to home. Clinical teams used and will continue to use virtual rehabilitation services alongside face-to-face contact to ensure that every patient gets the treatment and support that they need. Almost half of stroke survivors have received virtual care since the pandemic began, transforming their experience of the health system. Over 80% reported positive or very positive experiences. We are investing in a mental health recovery action plan which will help us to provide more appointments which, sadly, were missed during the pandemic and that will help us catch up. The NHS is committed to delivering personalised, needs-based stroke rehabilitation to every stroke survivor who needs it. Over £3.3 million has been dedicated to the establishment and ongoing delivery of integrated stroke delivery networks across England. Looking ahead, the NHS published its delivery plan for tackling the covid-19 backlog of elective care last month. The plan sets out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including how it will support patients. We plan to spend more than £8 billion between the next financial year and 2024-25. I mentioned the work that Jenny Keane will be doing following her recent appointment. She will be responsible for work on rehabilitation and discharges, as well as other areas covered by NHS continuing healthcare and the better care fund. That work is ongoing but does not include a specific commitment at this point to a strategy, as outlined.

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