This week there are only a few items that have been published on the Government website that are linked to Sussex but they are significant.

Today there is a plan for MPs to potentially take part in a discussion for a public e-petition organised by Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, South Wales. The item is described as “e-petition 653593 relating to assisted dying” published by Hanna Geissler. The e-petition began on the 5th January and the six-month completion rule means it will close on 5^th July. In the first month the petition achieved 100,000 signatures and to date there are more than 202,000 signatures. All areas of Sussex have signed it with Arundel and South Downs nearly 600 signatures, West Sussex, Lewes 530 and Bexhill and Battle 620 and in Brighton and Hove City the most significant is Hove with 470. The e-petition aims to “Hold a parliamentary vote on assisted dying” The first few words are

“This petition calls for the Government to allocate Parliamentary time for assisted dying to be fully debated in the House of Commons and to give MPs a vote on the issue. Terminally ill people who are mentally sound and near the end of their lives should not suffer unbearably against their will.” 

Tomorrow there are two Committees involving Sussex MPs. The first is the Education Committee group with Caroline Ansell from Eastbourne. The focus is “Children’s social care”, followed by debate on a motion on hospice funding. Previously an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) published a report which stated

“on average, hospice services receive one-third of their overall funding from the Government via the NHS. However, the funding received hasn’t risen in line with increasing costs like energy bills and increases in staff pay to keep pace with NHS pay”

The APPG report concludes

“the way hospice services are commissioned in England is ‘not fit for purpose’ and funding often does not reflect the true cost of care” 

The Government is urged to take up the recommendations in the report. The initial few words from Sally-Ann were

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the postcode lottery of funding for hospices; and calls on integrated care boards to urgently address the funding for hospice-provided palliative care in their areas. As a member of all-party parliamentary group for hospice and end of life care, I am very happy to be co-leading this debate with my lovely friend, Peter Gibson, who applied for this debate today. I have so much admiration for hospice and palliative care providers, and empathy for those experiencing dying, death and bereavement. Both my parents died of cancer, and I will always be grateful for the amazing care that they received. Hospice care is important to so many people and we are very lucky to have St Michael’s Hospice in beautiful Hastings and Rye, and Demelza House, which offers palliative care for children—largely through outreach work.” 

The other Sussex MP who contributed to the debate was Caroline Ansell who spoke soon after a contribution led by Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay She said

“My hon. Friend is making a moving and powerful speech, and he makes me recall my experience at Chestnut Tree House, which provides hospice care for children across Sussex. It is striving hard to meet all the demands on services.  It knows that many more families would benefit from its care,’’

On Monday 24^th April Mims Davies the minister for Disabled People Health and Work and Conservative MP for mid Sussex responded to the Carers Allowance discussion. Helen Walker Chief Executive at Carers UK expressed that the “130 Organisations of the Carer Poverty Coalition have called for a full review and reform of Carers Allowance” Important subjects need full support to improve. On the 18th of April there was a session about “Covid-19: Response and Excess Deaths” and the unexpected aspect was that there were two e-petitions that are focused on this item. The two e-petions are “e-petition 639085, Launch a Public Inquiry into excess mortality in England and Wales; e-petition 628188, Investigate UK excess deaths not related to Covid.” As it happens both of these petitions are both less than 15,000 signatures but clearly the theme is very important. There were contributions from two Sussex MPs. Peter Bottomley who spoke and the government minister, Maria Caulfield. The comment from Peter included

“The hon. Gentleman has made a sensible, serious point. Ministers here and in other countries knew that when they set up the global vaccines study…. those who start saying we should not have had the vaccines are wrong, and those who think that anyone believes any treatment is completely safe are wrong as well.” 

Maria contributed her words

“I want to see any evidence about vaccine safety, because that is how we learn. I think we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. We want to do the best, but during the pandemic, when we watched TV footage from around the world, and the media were often pushing us to lock down harder, faster and longer, we had to make difficult decisions without the benefit of hindsight. I went back to the wards during covid, and I looked after covid patients who were being treated for cancer. We lost many of them, and we lost a number of staff, too. I have seen this from both sides of the fence.’’