Tag Archives: norman lamb

Children’s operations cancelled over non-transferable CRB checks

By Helen Duffett | Fri 26th February 2010 - 3:23 pm

A report by the Royal College of Surgeons, published today, reveals that children’s NHS operations are being cancelled because of the chaotic introduction of new Government safeguarding regulations. From the report:

Overzealous interpretation of the requirements by NHS Trusts and long delays in the system mean that NHS surgeons cannot move between Trusts quickly enough to deal with rare cases, of which there are many in children, and to cover absences. The RCS is calling for immediate roll out of passport-style arrangements that allow NHS staff who have already received an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check for one Trust

…

Posted in News | Also tagged NHS, royal college of surgeons and vetting and barring scheme | 5 Comments

Opinion: A Liberal NHS

By Prateek Buch | Wed 17th February 2010 - 12:50 pm

As people who know me well will tell you, I’ve always been something of an idealist, daydreaming about some abstract political philosophy whilst everyone else deals with more pragmatic concerns – or ‘living in the real world’ as I believe it’s known. I make this point as what I’m about to write alludes to an apparent confluence – potentially at least – of strands of abstract political thought and practical everyday policy that I believe should gain prominence as the general election approaches.

First of all let’s deal with the practicalities (unusual for me but there you go…). Earlier this month …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged allyson pollock, NHS and pfi | 8 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 8 February 2010

By Stephen Tall | Mon 8th February 2010 - 10:20 am

Happy Monday morning, everyone. Let’s plunge straight in …

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Blah blah who would you do a deal with blah blah blah.. on Steph Asley’s Dib Lemming blog.

Really, really, REALLY tired of every time a Lib Dem has any airtime, the only thing the interviewer keeps asking is what the party would do in the event of a hung parliament.

Why don’t the Conservatives trust local democracy? on Nich Starling’s Norfolk Blogger.

Why should an

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Posted in Daily View | Also tagged kirsty williams, mick bates, NHS, nich starling, pfi and steph ashley | 17 Comments

“BAE guilty plea a damning indictment of the Government”

By Mark Pack | Sat 6th February 2010 - 2:20 pm

So says Norman Lamb, who has campaigned for corruption charges to be brought against BAE since 2001, in response to the news that BAE admits guilt over corrupt arms deals … firm pays out £300m:

Posted in News | Also tagged al yamamah, bae and wafic said | 1 Comment

LibLink: Norman Lamb – A healthier Health Service

By NewsHound | Thu 4th February 2010 - 7:15 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free site, Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb argues that instead of slashing NHS budgets, we can get smarter services by devolving power to patients and professionals. Here’s an excerpt:

Opinion polls suggest that satisfaction with NHS has never been higher. The challenge facing all political parties is to sustain that support in an era of reduced public spending. The NHS is facing a perfect storm of rising costs due to our ageing population, a range of lifestyle conditions and a constant flow of expensive new treatments, but there will be no significant new

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Posted in LibLink | Also tagged NHS | Leave a comment

Lamb urges tighter rules for foreign doctors

By The Voice | Thu 28th January 2010 - 6:45 pm

The Telegraph reports Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb’s proposals to tighten rules on the employment of foreign doctors after the death of a 70-year-old man treated by a doctor from Germany:

Norman Lamb, the party’s health spokesman, called for a series of reforms including a national language and competency test for every doctor wishing to work in Britain.

The demand comes after David Gray, from Manea, Cambridgeshire, died after he was given more than 10 times the recommended daily dose of diamorphine by Daniel Ubani, a locum doctor from Germany.
Dr Ubani, 67, had been on his first

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Posted in News | Also tagged NHS | 7 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 24 January 2010

By Mark Pack | Sun 24th January 2010 - 9:00 am

It’s Sunday. It’s 9am. It’s time for one of Microsoft’s best adverts (no, really) and the bicycle lane of the week but first the news.

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Really interesting health discussion: Sandy Walkington doesn’t got for hyperbole in his description of a public meeting addressed by Norman Lamb but do read through to the end – which has an excellent account of the problems facing anyone trying to come up with policy for the NHS.
Snow joke: Residents demand grit bins as Labour stop debate: Haringey councillor Richard Wilson is on the case to get more grit bins so residents can do more to take care of their own streets during future snow falls. Haringey Labour’s response? Waffle. (Words rather than food, that is.)

Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren’t on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all.

2 Big Stories

‘Sarah’s Law’ sex offender alert scheme may be expanded

Posted in Daily View | Also tagged alexis rowell, haringey council, ichiro ozawa, japan, microsoft, NHS, richard wilson and sandy walkington | 1 Comment

What the papers say…

By Philip Young | Sat 26th December 2009 - 3:43 pm

Civil servants are as bad as bankers … The Telegraph trumpets Gladstone’s anniversary … Tories support Labour’s school Sats Tests … Another dodgy Tory donor exposed … Labour split on voting reform … Lords skim expenses cream … BBC to make film on Thorpe tragedy … what Chris Huhne thinks of Prince Charles … Unions sit on money for Labour … look at who says Hauge is Vauge …and the only thing the final polls of the year can agree upon is that Liberal Democrat support is holding up

Now Civil Servants join bankers in ludicrous bonuses – Daily Mail,, 24.12.09

…

Posted in News | Also tagged abdelbaset ali al-megrahi, chris grayling, chris huhne, david cameron, ed vaizey, electoral reform, essex county council, fouad makhzoumi, george osborne, jeremy thorpe, julie kirkbride, michael gove, nick clegg, peter mandelson, sion simon, theresa may, tony greaves, universities, vince cable, what the papers say, william gladstone, william hague and willie rennie | Leave a comment

What the papers say…

By Philip Young | Sun 13th December 2009 - 10:05 am

Over at the Daily Mail, is the shine coming off Brand Cameron, or, is this just a kick up the pants? First comes the big slap…then the boot, with a stiletto heel.

Daily Mail, leader-column, 12.12.09:

“At a time like this, it’s madness to ring-fence any budget at the expense of the rest. Even sacred cows can be hugely overweight. Since 1977, billions have been poured into health and education, without the improvements in standards we’d expect.

“How can Mr. Darling claim there’s no scope for cuts in the NHS, on the day we learn it is spending £1 …

Posted in News | Also tagged alistair darling, azad ootam, bob ainsworth, chris huhne, david cameron, george osborne, john maples, john thurso, PBR, royal mail, steve webb, what the papers say and willie rennie | 3 Comments

What the papers say…

By Philip Young | Fri 11th December 2009 - 1:40 pm

A look back at the last few days of news and comment in the National newspapers, by former Fleet Street News Editor (and former Editor of Liberal News), Philip Young… including a few clippings you may have missed.

Sunday Times, 6.12.09:

“A Tory peer has been caught using someone else’s home address to claim tens of thousands of pounds in expenses. Lord Taylor of Warwick, a 57-year-old former barrister, told the House of Lords that his main home was a terrace house in Oxford, which he neither owned nor lived in. Taylor has lived in his family home …

Posted in News | Also tagged amantuklla ali, annunziata rees-moss, david cameron, david willetts, gordon brown, janet daley, joseph rowntree foundation, lord ashcroft, lord taylor of warwick, mary riddell, melanie phillips, mps expenses, quentin davies, rod liddle, vince cable and what the papers say | Leave a comment

NHS IT – has Labour wasted £12 billion?

By Iain Roberts | Mon 7th December 2009 - 11:45 am

The NHS is part way through one of the world’s biggest IT projects, a colossal £6.2bn programme which won’t be completed until the end of the decade.

So said Business IT website Silicon.com back in January 2006 – nearly four years ago when it reviewed the nine projects making up the Government’s NHS IT revolution, from Choose and Book to the NHS Spine.

As the end of the decade approaches, not only are the NHS IT projects far from completion, but the cost has more than doubled to over £12 billion.

We now hear that the project is to be scaled back, …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged NHS | 4 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 19 October 2009

By Stephen Tall | Mon 19th October 2009 - 9:35 am

2 Big Stories

Labour’s Hain threatens BBC with legal action over BNP invitation

Labour’s Welsh secretary Peter Hain makes a bid for the media spotlight today by arguing that the BBC could face legal action over this Thursday’s edition of Question Time, due to feature an appearance by BNP leader Nick Griffin MEP:

… in his letter , Mr Hain … said the decision should be reconsidered in light of a legal case about ethnic restrictions on the BNP’s membership rules. The party has agreed to amend its constitution after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission sought an injunction, claiming the BNP was breaking the Race Relations Act by restricting membership to “indigenous Caucasian” people.

Posted in Daily View | Also tagged alcohol, bbc question time, chris huhne, iain dale, mark oaten, Mark Pack, nich starling and peter hain | 1 Comment

Lamb slaughters Burnham’s “vague unfunded” hospital parking wish

By Stephen Tall | Thu 1st October 2009 - 8:35 pm

In a pledge so carefully worded it already anticipates its own failure excuses, Labour’s health secretary Andy Burnham yesterday pledged to abolish hospital parking fees:

It’s not right if some people don’t get visitors every day because families can’t afford the parking fees. … We can’t do it overnight, but over the next three years, as we can afford it, I want to phase out car parking charges for in-patients, giving each a permit for the length of their stay which family and friends can use”

Using the phrases “over the next three years” and “as we can afford it” in …

Posted in News | Also tagged andy burnham, NHS and parking | 6 Comments

Conference: Day 2

By Alix Mortimer | Sun 20th September 2009 - 10:24 am

The agenda

Reports from the Campaign for Gender Balance and the Diversity and Equality Group this morning, then a Scotland/Wales double-act in the form of the policy mortion on the Future of Devolution (short version: more of it please!). There’s a presenttation from Kingston’s Lib Dem group (go Mary!), speeches from Norman Lamb and Ed Davey and a policy motion on the paper “Thriving in a Globalised World – A Strategy for Britain”.

And that’s just before lunch.

Posted in News | Also tagged bournemouth 2009 conference, ed davey, nick clegg and tavish scott | 1 Comment

Daily View 2×2: 14 September 2009

By Stephen Tall | Mon 14th September 2009 - 9:32 am

2 Big Stories

Guardian: ‘executive pay keeps rising’

Today’s Guardian reports:

Executives at Britain’s top companies saw their basic salaries leap 10% last year, despite the onset of the worst global recession in decades, in which their companies lost almost a third of their value amid a record decline in the FTSE.

The Guardian’s annual survey of boardroom pay reveals that the full- and part-time directors of the FTSE 100, the premier league of British business, shared between them more than £1bn.

Bonus payouts were lower, but the basic salary hikes were more than three times the 3.1% average pay rise for ordinary workers in the private sector. The big rise in directors’ basic pay – more than double the rate of inflation last year – came as many of their companies were imposing pay freezes on staff and starting huge redundancy programmes to slash costs.

The paper quotes Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable:

Posted in Daily View | Also tagged freedom central, james graham, NHS, recession and vince cable | Leave a comment

CommentIsLinked@LDV: Norman Lamb on NHS parking charges

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th August 2009 - 2:02 pm

Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb says the NHS is using car parking charges as a “tax on the sick.”

From the Telegraph:

Every year the NHS in England makes over £100 million from parking charges. While these charges do generate some much-needed income for the NHS, they can also cause real hardship for patients and their families. Patients are often faced with eye-wateringly high parking costs, but poor public transport links means that they sometimes have little alternative but to pay up. This is a scandalous and unfair situation: it needs to change.

However, I do not believe that we

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Posted in LibLink | Also tagged NHS | Leave a comment

Norman Lamb: the Lib Dem MP who helped launch Tinchy Stryder’s rap career

By Stephen Tall | Sat 25th July 2009 - 2:00 pm

What is it with the Lib Dems and celebrities these days? Yesterday, Daniel Radcliffe came out of the closet as a Lib Dem, while today The Guardian reveals all about Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb’s collaboration with hot, new rapping superstar Tinchy Stryder:

Twenty-two- year-old Kwasi Danquah – better known to his increasingly agitated female admirers as Tinchy Stryder – is Britain’s hottest new rapper, whose two most recent singles, Take Me Back and Number 1, reached number three and, appropriately enough, number one in the charts. He offers a noncommittal wave and nod in their direction, then returns his

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Posted in News | Also tagged daniel radcliffe and tinchy stryder | Leave a comment

As if swine ‘flu weren’t bad enough…

By The Voice | Thu 30th April 2009 - 9:45 am

Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb has warned that diseases such as whooping cough and scarlet fever are making a “dramatic comeback”. The Health Service Journal reports:

Cases of whooping cough have almost trebled since 2003, from 386 to 1,071 a year in 2008. The number of cases of scarlet fever has risen from 2,121 in 2003 to 2,845 in 2008.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: “It is shocking that diseases which should belong to a bygone era are making a dramatic comeback. Ministers have ‘failed in their duty’

“Many of these illnesses can be prevented with a

…

Posted in News | Also tagged NHS | 1 Comment

Conservative Party faces investigation over controversial donations from Said family

By Mark Pack | Tue 31st March 2009 - 10:36 pm

The Electoral Commission is investigating tens of thousands of pounds the Conservative Party has received from the Said family, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Wafic Said was a key figure in the highly controversial Al-Yamamah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the UK. Allegations of corruption surrounding the deal were being investigated by staff at Britain’s Serious Fraud Office – until they were ordered to drop the investigation because it was supposedly against the national interest. Tough on crime? Only when it suits.

Although the Liberal Democrats – and Norman Lamb in particular – have been vocal in their criticisms of …

Posted in News | Also tagged al yamamah, conservative party, ConservativeHome, electoral commission, political parties elections and referendums act 2000, saudi arabia and wafic said | 1 Comment

Lamb criticises “MMR scaremongering”

By The Voice | Thu 12th February 2009 - 10:40 am

Norman Lamb has tabled Early Day Motion 754, “MMR vaccine and the media“.

This follows a public dispute between award-winning blogger Ben Goldacre and radio station LBC over a broadcast by Jeni Barnett that Goldacre describes as a “44 minute tirade against MMR”.

According the party’s press release, Norman said:

“Suggesting that the MMR vaccine is dangerous in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary is massively irresponsible and could put children’s lives at risk.

“This kind of scaremongering has had a serious impact on public health in the last decade.

“Cases of measles have risen dramatically in the

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Posted in News | Also tagged ben goldacre, edm and mmr | 3 Comments

Norman Lamb and the ‘prince of grime’

By The Voice | Thu 29th January 2009 - 10:13 am

The Guardian’s Patrick Barkham has the story of the strange connection between Tinchy Stryder “a 22-year-old grime artist from east London, enjoying the highest new entry at No 3 in this week’s singles chart” and Norman Lamb “a middle-aged Liberal Democrat MP from Norfolk”:

Stryder’s tiny independent record label was created by Lamb’s son, Archie, when he was just 17, after his Lib Dem dad remortgaged their home to loan him £10,000. Archie and his friend Jack Foster dropped out of school after booking Stryder – then completely unknown – for their urban music nights in Norwich and persuading him to

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Posted in News | Also tagged music | 1 Comment

Lamb reveals 50 Health civil servants earn £100k+

By The Voice | Tue 13th January 2009 - 1:40 pm

From today’s Telegraph:

The number of staff earning three-figure salaries at the Department of Health has shot up from just eight in 1997 when Labour came to power. Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat health spokesman who obtained the figures in response to a written Parliamentary question, said: “For too long the Government’s priority has been increasing the amount of bureaucracy in the NHS.

“The explosion in the number of managers, not just in the Department of Health but across the NHS in general, is crazy when front line services are under huge pressure. People will be shocked that so many civil

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Posted in News | Also tagged civil service and NHS | 9 Comments

Norman Lamb wins freedom of information battle

By Mark Pack | Thu 8th January 2009 - 8:45 am

News from The Red Box blog:

A major breakthrough in Freedom of Information rules has happened today, thanks to the tireless work of Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman and FOI expert.

The Information Tribunal has forced Downing Street to release the names of every official, adviser and minister met by the Prime Minister in “internal meetings” during the period of one month.

You can read the full post here.

Update: The Guardian has more:

The ruling by the tribunal, taken with another recent decision to release the minutes of a lobbying meeting between the media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Blair over

…

Posted in News | 1 Comment

How much have you paid Alesha Dixon?

By Mark Pack | Sun 4th January 2009 - 3:51 pm

Today’s Observer brings us the story of how the NHS is spending money on getting celebrities to take part in health information campaigns but insisting on keeping the details secret in case it puts people off:

The Department of Health, which increasingly uses actors, singers, television stars and sports personalities to convince the nation to adopt healthier habits, refuses to admit how much it spends on celebrity campaigns. Now critics have accused the government of “unacceptable secrecy” following speculation that stars are being paid up to £10,000 a day for their appearances.

The DoH has rejected a bid by the Observer under

…

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Norman Lamb: Making the NHS more efficient and accountable

By Will Howells | Tue 16th September 2008 - 10:08 am

The first of yesterday’s speeches from members of the party’s front bench team was by Norman Lamb, our Shadow Health Secretary. And, by the magic of teh internets, here it is:

Posted in Conference and Lib Dem TV | Leave a comment

Labour peer cleared of deliberate misconduct, but questions remain over inquiry

By Mark Pack | Thu 22nd May 2008 - 9:15 am

Labour peer Doug Hoyle has been cleared of deliberate misconduct by an inquiry into the circumstances in which he introduced Michael Wood, an advisor to the arms industry, to Lord Drayson, the Minister responsible for arms procurement. Hoyle failed to declare that he was receiving money from Michael Wood, but defended himself saying that the payments were not related to the meeting.

Although the Lords inquiry cleared him of deliberate misconduct,

The group did not interview any witnesses about the allegations, nor did it take evidence from Drayson or the Ministry of Defence.

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat frontbench MP, said: “The peers are

…

Posted in Parliament | 5 Comments

NHS waiting times have increased under Labour

By Mark Pack | Tue 4th March 2008 - 7:27 am

From the BBC:

NHS data reveals that in 1997-98 average waits stood at 41 days, but by last year had risen to 49 days.

The government said it was the price paid for the end of really long waits, but doctors said longer waits included some patients with serious conditions…

Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb added: “These figures massively undermine Labour’s claims to have made a substantial difference to NHS waiting times.”

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Online health Q+A for party members this evening

By The Voice | Tue 5th February 2008 - 4:08 pm

A reminder for Liberal Democrat members: as previously mentioned, the online question and answer session with Norman Lamb is taking place this evening (Tuesday), 7:00pm – 8:30pm on http://forum.libdems.org.uk

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Take part in the Lib Dems’ online health policy Q&A this Tuesday

By The Voice | Fri 1st February 2008 - 5:52 pm

An email reaches The Voice from party chief exec M’Lord Chris Rennard, intended for all Lib Dem members, which we’re sure he wouldn’t mind us further publicising…

Dear The Voice,

The party’s spring conference will see a major debate on a set of new health policy proposals, which were published by the party’s health policy working group in January.

Norman Lamb, our Shadow Secretary of State for Health, will be taking part in an online discussion next Tuesday to enable members to raise any questions ahead of the conference debate.

You can read about the proposals, and also get a copy of the full

…

Posted in Online politics | Also tagged chris rennard | 4 Comments

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