Political Opinion with Alison Bennett MP: A week of wins

As a backbench MP, people sometimes ask me what influence I really have. I understand the question — without a ministerial role it might look as though I have no power, but there are tools that backbenchers can use to deliver meaningful change.

Sometimes that means pushing hard, ‘rattling cages’, to make the government listen. That pressure can and does work and this past week has brought two such moments.

The first is a win on the Mental Health Bill currently going through Parliament. Working with the Carers Trust, I tabled an amendment that would place a duty on hospitals to identify if a patient detained under the Mental Health Act has children, so they can receive appropriate information and support.

Parental mental illness is now the leading factor in children’s social care assessments, overtaking domestic abuse. Yet, shockingly, research shows only a third of mental health professionals in inpatient settings ask whether a patient is a parent. These children are too often invisible, and we must do better.

That’s why I was so pleased when the government responded to my amendment by agreeing to introduce changes that will offer far greater protection for these young people.

The second success is on funding for hospices. Since last summer I have been hearing from local people about the perilous state our local hospices are in. I’ve been working with both children’s and adult hospices, many of whom are facing real financial strain having to close beds and let staff go. I raised this in Parliament with a ‘presentation bill’, wrote to the Secretary of State, and secured a debate on children’s hospice funding in the South East.

Last Thursday, just hours before my debate, the government announced an additional £80 million funding settlement over the next three years for children’s hospices. It’s a vital step, and one that I was pleased came in response to the growing pressure we applied.

Of course, more must be done to give our hospices financial security for the long term. But these successes make rattling those cages so very worthwhile for families and communities right here in Mid Sussex.