On Thursday 15 June, members of the Lords debated the current performance of the NHS and innovation in the health service. The government is fixated on “growing the economy” and generating profits, instead of social innovation to deliver health, and other goods, for people. APPG member Natalie Bennett reflected on this as a speaker in the debate:
Finally, I will reflect a little on innovation… I am afraid that, very often, when we hear members of the Government talking about it, they are talking about inventing new products that people will make profits from, usually involving shiny new things and, indeed, new pills. Of course, we know that the kind of innovation that I and pretty much all speakers in this debate have been talking about is about doing things differently and more smartly, and operating in ways that acknowledge the One Health paradigm: that our health is entirely dependent on the health of our environment. I would love to see more analysis and understanding from the Government that this is innovation. Innovation may, dare I say it, less directly involve GDP: you are not selling things but improving the public health of the population.
This general debate was put forward by Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat), former Leader of Sheffield City Council. For transcripts of the full debate, please see the Hansard website. To watch the debate, please go to Parliament.tv.