Baroness Nargund (Lab)

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow my noble friend Lord Griffiths. I might finish before three minutes as well—I am not sure. I congratulate my noble friend Lady Morgan on securing this very important debate and on her excellent opening speech. We have heard from so many noble Lords from across the House, highlighting different sectors and opportunities. Skills, training, employment, health and regional growth are deeply interconnected. If we want to reduce regional inequalities, we must create opportunities for young people where they live. Today, nearly 1 million young people are NEET. Behind that statistic is an enormous reservoir of talent and potential that our country cannot afford to lose. As a doctor who has served for nearly four decades in the National Health Service, I want to talk about how the National Health Service can help with skills, training, apprenticeships and employing young people who are not in education, employment or training—and, in doing so, support regional growth. We have two challenges: young people who need opportunities and a healthcare system in desperate need of a sustainable workforce. Why not bring them together? We often think of our National Health Service simply as a healthcare provider. We forget that it is the largest public sector employer, and in fact one of the largest employers in the country if we include all legal entities, with a distinct presence in virtually every community across our country. This gives our National Health Service a unique opportunity to become an anchor for skills, training, apprenticeships, employment and regional growth. This should not be about finding young people any employment; it should be about giving them a career, a qualification, security and a future. A young person gaining skills and securing employment improves their income, independence and health. Their salaries are spent locally, growing the local economy, and communities retain talent so local productivity grows. Furthermore, an NHS workforce drawn from the local communities it serves will understand the needs of that community, creating a win-win situation for regional growth and wealth. Therefore, I ask my noble friend the Minister: as the Government consider the solutions phase of the Milburn review, will they explore the NHS as an anchor for skills, training, apprenticeships, regional health and growth? The NHS has the potential to deliver a practical solution to the NEET crisis while delivering regional growth.