Dame Siobhain McDonagh

Dame Siobhain McDonagh

Labour — Mitcham and Morden

Speaking in the House of Commons on 13 June 2025

Debate

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Contribution

That is the whole purpose of my amendment and my speech. Section 1 of the 2006 Act is the legal foundation on which every NHS duty rests, guaranteeing that our NHS will serve everyone, always. The section, which expresses the promise of “a comprehensive health service designed to secure improvement…in the physical and mental health of the people of England”, has remained virtually unchanged since 1946. Those words, spoken by Nye Bevan and enshrined in law, set out the purpose of the NHS: a national health service free at the point of delivery.

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