Matt Turmaine

It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor) for securing this important and emotional debate. I also thank other hon. Members who have made contributions on this deeply upsetting subject, as well as the members of the public who have travelled to be in the Gallery. Having heard about this condition, I know that some of them must have had incredibly difficult journeys to get here, so I thank them for their efforts. Research from 2019 showed that 83.3% of cases of reported UTIs in primary care involved women, and that UTIs were most common in women over the age of 65, as we have heard. In 2023-24, there were 679,399 hospital admissions involving a UTI diagnosis. Hon. Members have touched on suicidal ideation, and it is important to note that suicides have happened as a result of the suffering caused by this condition. It is therefore imperative that it is taken seriously and that we act on it. Suffers are bedbound, unable to work, unable to sleep and unable to leave the house or socialise, all while they experience debilitating pain. A Watford constituent of mine has had to give up her job at a school, where she worked for more than two decades. Imagine what that feels like when our lives are so defined by the careers we undertake. It is nothing short of tragic. The condition has impacted her personal life as well, and she had to take remedial action even to attend her own daughter’s wedding. What sufferers want is, first, the development of effective pain relief, which goes without saying, given the contributions that have been made already; secondly, research and funding for new and speedy treatment options; thirdly, the introduction of accurate testing at primary care level; and finally, as has been touched on, a meeting with the relevant Minister so that she can fully understand the nature of living with this condition. Overall, what they want can be defined as a cure.