YouSaid · the spoken record

Victoria Atkins

lines on the record: 41
first: 2024-05-17
most recent: 2024-05-17
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I have an amazing job at the moment. I mean, I genuinely, I love doing this role and I am working night and day to help people get the care they deserve on the National Health Service.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It was very interesting actually because I think there is a point here about quite where the values of the Labour Party are if they're prepared to accept someone who is so out of step with a parent principles they seem to have thrown those down the Dala bin.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think it came as a surprise to pretty much everybody that given how hard right she is that she had apparently swallowed her principles and crossed the floor. I think also you...”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, we again, for me, the Conservative Party, one of the joys of the Conservative Party is that we welcome robust debate. And it is, again, these values and these principles of our democracy. We should be able to have debate. I mean, if you look at recently with the CAS review, again, as health secretary, I had the privilege of bringing that review before Parliament when Dr Hillary Cass reported on it. It was all about gender and the treatment of children who are in gender distress and the prescription of these very, very strong medications. It turns out with very shaky foundations as to whether or not they work. And whereas in the Conservative Party, we have been talking about this. We've been asking questions on the left. They have been shutting debate down for years now saying, oh, get over it. And that to me is very damaging. We live in a vibrant democracy. We should not be afraid of debate.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, just on the first part of your question, politics has been through a very tumultuous, but also actually a very exciting time the last nine years since I've been in politics. And we had the Brexit referendum. We have, yeah, that was a huge constitutional change, and we have delivered that. We've also had a once-in-a-century pandemic with COVID. It took an enormous toll on everyone, but we are through that and we are dealing with its consequences. This was what”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It means that we believe that for the people who can do so, we provide a ladder to the stars, but we have a safety net underneath for those who cannot. And to me, this is about compassion. It's about giving people that chance in life, giving them that opportunity and allowing them to flourish, but also being very, very careful to ensure that if, for example, someone is a victim of crime, if they need an operation, that the NHS, the criminal justice system is there to look after them. And I genuinely believe, you know, these values that we hold so dear as a conservative party actually, they are where the British public are at.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Cut waiting lists to help with primary care and so on. These plans we are beginning to turn a corner. We are seeing results from this. And I'm afraid our opponents do not have the plans. Their announcement today on waiting lists was as flat appeared as a cloud of smoke.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, it's interesting you said it because obviously I canvas. I go out on the doorstep talking to my constituents as much as I possibly can. And what we see in the polls is not what I hear on the doorstep. And I know that colleagues across the country are reporting the same. I came into politics to serve and to deliver for the British people. And so for me, when I see what the Prime Minister has achieved in the last 18 months, we have seen inflation down that was hurting so many people when Rishi became Prime Minister. We have seen a tax cut of £900 on average for people. We've seen pensions rise by £900. Michael Ashton used to do in 1996, if you're forgiven. Look, I'm not going to take you to do the Today program. This is about values. And it's precisely because we have these plans. I have a number of plans for the NHS to...”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Very much. And of course, they won't suit everyone. It isn't just about relying on those medications. We have to bring our children up to understand what eating healthily looks like, being active and so on, help us make better decisions as well on our diets. But of course medications such as that will have a huge impact in the future. I've no doubt about that.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We are in such an exciting time in the world of health and medicine because I genuinely believe we're on the cusp of a medical revolution. The discovery of medications such as this, of course, I'm very respectful of the regulators' decisions and we'll wait to see what their final decisions are. But we know that the science is there to make a real impact on people's lives.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I do not. I'm really strict about this because I take it really seriously that my husband has his own career and I wouldn't dream of asking him to give up his career just as he wouldn't dream to ask me to give up my career for the benefit of our separate careers. What I would point to are two things. First of all, I voted enthusiastically for the sugar tax. And secondly, I have a complicated relationship with sugar, given my type 1 diabetes. So actually genuinely an issue for people living with type 1 diabetes has been the commendable action of some drinks manufacturers to reduce the sugar in their fizzy drinks. We absolutely understand the public health reasons for that, but on occasion we need to, a type 1 diabetics need to have a bit of sugar to help us with our blood sugar level. So I have a very complicated relationship with sugar, but I absolutely assure you that I take my responsibilities in this regard. recoused myself from”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, again we come back to the fact that salt, for example, although of course if it's eaten too much, of course it can have very damaging effects but it also can also have it in moderation and it will not hurt you in a way that nicotine that simply doesn't not apply with nicotine. But what we're doing over the next month or so I will be talking about prevention and the impact that lifestyle factors including our diets, our lack of physical activity, what that has not just in terms of our weight but also importantly on other health conditions. We want to help us all lead healthier, longer lives precisely because we are living longer and so we've got to find ways of concertinering that the illness at the end of our lives so that we enjoy much healthier life for much longer and there's some really exciting ideas coming forward.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And this is why we have brought forward, for example, measures to ensure that sweets and those sorts of products are not on sale by the TILS, you know, as a parent, I know how difficult it is to walk through the chocolate aisle with my son, but also for me this is about reforming our health system and making sure that prevention is part of that. When we look at the demand on the energy system, it's just too bad.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So, the difference with cigarettes is that if they are the only consumer good, that if they are used as intended by the manufacturers, then they will kill you. Whereas no other subject, whether it's alcohol, sugar, salt, no other consumer good, has that impact. And what we're saying with this smoking ban for children, children aged 14 and 15 now, will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. That's because we do not want them to become addicted to nicotine with all of the huge health implications that has for them.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“So that was in the context of the conversation, the national conversation we have to have about obesity. And there is a clear qualitative difference between the addiction, that nicotine and cigarettes brings on as opposed to somebody having a diet that we need to encourage them to help to improve.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And as a conservative, I don't like banning things, but I also don't believe that there is liberty in addiction. And nicotine is one of the most addictive substances. There is a reason why, for example, vaping companies put nicotine in their vapes, and it's about getting people hooked onto nicotine, whether that's in vapes or in cigarettes, and then that struggle that smokers in particular have to quit, some 75%, three quarters of smokers say they wish they'd never taken up smoking.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Okay, well, first of all, an adult Winston Churchill would still be able to smoke his cigars because what we're not doing is saying to anyone who can smoke legally at the moment, we are absolutely maintaining that freedom. What we're saying is that we want to stop children and young people from falling into the habit in the first place. So we know that the overwhelming majority of people start smoking before the age of 20. And we want to ensure that through this change in the law for retail of cigarettes, that we believe the modelling shows us we will see a huge reduction in smoking over the next 10 years.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think a colleague once described me as an impatient minister. If I have this amazing opportunity to make change within RNHS, I'm going to seize every moment I can and really drive forward both reform but also consolidate the achievements that we've seen over the last 14 years. So one of the things, one of the most transformative public health reforms we can make is indeed the smoking ban. We know that smoking causes four in ten cancers and we know it takes an enormous toll on not just individuals but also on the economy. It costs us some £17 billion. So if we're able to stop smoking, not only is that good for our young people that we're directing this towards, it's also good for our economy and for the NHS.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I am very, very hopeful that this set of mediations, as I say, it's a positive step forward. We have already been able to find accommodation and make deals with consultants and with specialty doctors. And so now it falls on junior doctors. In fairness to them, we've had three months without strikes and we've seen real progress on waiting lists. We've seen that's really encouraging. And so we just need to have this period if you like of discussion away from the spotlight just to see what we can do next”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Very much not. No. We all want to find progress for our patients. And indeed, with strikes, it's not just the period of strike activity that hurts the system and people. It's the weeks leading up to the strike dates, you know, because the system is trying to prepare for that. It's the weeks after the strike dates because nurses and doctors who've worked overtime to cover those who are striking need rest. And so it has a much, much longer tail than just the strike. And what's fascinating is that I've been clear I will not, you know, I condemn these strikes. I will not condone strikes. Interestingly, the Labour government in Wales who runs the NHS has just extended the strike mandate for the BMA in Wales, which means they've made it easier for the BMA to strike in Wales. And I just could never contemplate that.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, of course, I would never discuss conversations between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and myself. What we have all been very focused on is trying to improve the situation for patients, because as I say, it has these strikes have very significant consequences for patients.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Very much so, and for me it's not just about, although of course pay is really important, it's also about the working conditions of our health workforce. So I've said all along, I want to help a junior doctors with some of the working conditions that they're facing that just make life really tough for them. And a few weeks ago we published with NHS England a programme of work to ensure that working conditions are better. It's a first step, but I hope a positive step and I hope that the medical, you know, that doctors will see that and think, okay, she said she would help on working conditions and she is doing so so that we can continue these discussions about other matters as well.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm not, because again, referencing our conversations earlier, sometimes we have to give people the time and the space to be able to have these discussions. And so for this process, I just want to ensure that all the people around the table are not feeling that they're beholden to deadlines or tweets they have to put out that we can have these discussions because for me, you know, I want this to be resolved so that we can continue to see the reduction in waiting lists that we already have seen over the last six months. I want patients to be treated. The NHS is there to look after us all and industrial action does not help with that.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I very much hope so, and if I may, on industrial action, I mean, obviously when I became Health Secretary in November, we'd had a very difficult year for the health system with industrial action. We had seen some 1.4 million appointments cancelled, and that isn't just a figure on a spreadsheet. Those are people possibly listening to this at home whose appointments have been cancelled, who are in pain, who are in distress. And so I wanted to find solutions to this as quickly and as fairly as I could. And so I was really pleased when we were able to reach an agreement with consultants about their contract. Their contract hadn't been looked at for 20 years. Consultants have voted for it, so changes are already in place, but with the specialist and specialty doctors, it has to be voted on by members. But I hope, given the very collaborative approach we've had, that members will feel able to accept it. And then we've also announced that we are entering mediation with the junior doctor.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Very much, and of course we should sell our ideas, our principles, our values, explain them to the public, but also there is an enormous amount of work that goes on quietly in the background to achieve policy. So I'll give you an example. I've set my department the challenge that every single proposal they give to me should help to make our NHS and social care system faster, simpler and fairer. And now in every policy proposal I get, my officials set out for me how they think this particular proposal will meet those aims.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Not as a toddler, but I certainly, yes. I mean, I still are very much in contact with him. He's been, again, someone else who has shown me the good that we can do in politics. And when I look at, for example, the work that John started in Northern Ireland with the Good Friday, that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement, that is an incredible legacy that communities across Northern Ireland are benefiting from this day. And so that sort of understanding and understated work in politics, I think there's a real role for that. And I'm not sure in this day and age with social media and stuff, that side of politics necessarily comes out quite as it should.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, it tended to be when I was getting home at night on a Friday night or a Saturday night. The usual sorts of boundary pushing. And you didn't just have...”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Actually, I've got to change things. So, fast forward, fast forward to 2009-2010 and the expenses scandal has exploded. And I'm at that stage of my career where I'm having to make decisions, do I start to apply for silk? Am I, you know, where is my career developing? And David Cameron opened up the candidates list for the Conservative Party. And my husband said to me, I'm sick and tired of you shouting at the television whenever Gordon Brown comes on. So will you please put your name forward? So I did. And going through the Conservative Party processes, find myself as a candidate some four years later.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And at that moment you could just see his life chances fluttering away from him because the moment he got a criminal conviction, his life was going to be set on a particular path. And so I said at that point thought one day I want to be able to help children like Billy.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But interestingly, I remember one of the first cases I ever dealt with by myself, I was in my period of training. I was sent to a youth court in the south of England. And in those days, if you were very, very baby barrister, you were given a post-it note by your clerk with the name of the case on and that was it. You had no more details. And so I arrived at the youth court to represent this young boy who I call Billy. Obviously, I mustn't reveal his true identity. He was 12 years old. He was at court by himself. There were no grown-ups with him and the law requires that children should have an appropriate adult with them in court. And so I asked him, you know, is mum or dad coming to court today? And he said, very matter of factly, I've never known my dad and my mum will be flat out drunk on the floor by now. And it was 9.30 in the morning.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Rue or court centre with the most serious cases coming before judges, seeing how justice was dispensed. And I just fell in love with it. So I trained to become a, I went to university, read law, trained to become a barrister, and I spent my career working criminal court.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“No, I didn't, actually. Obviously, growing up in political family, rather like if you grew up in a family where your parents are doctors or teachers, or dare I say, broadcasters, politics is talked about, and I could see from both my father, but also actually my mum, who's a long-standing local counsellor. She's done amazing things in her local area. I could see the real force for good that politics can be. But I didn't want to go into politics. I remember actually when I was having to make decisions about which A-level subjects I was to study, my parents have sat me down and said, what do you want to do with the rest of your life, which is that what a question? And I said, I don't know. And one of them said, well, you're very good at arguing. So I went, I then went and spent a few days sitting in the old Bailey and watching this magisterial court.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think it's a brilliant example of cross party work on an issue that everybody cares about and in a way that's really productive and will make a real change. And I have tried to do this in my own political career. I was the minister who had the great privilege of bringing forward the domestic abuse bill, which will help some 2.3 million adult victims of domestic abuse as well as children living in abusive households. And that also was a really good example of cross-party collaboration. We moved the party politics out of it. We had a united aim to try to achieve real change for victims of domestic abuse. For me, that's probably one of my proudest moments in politics.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Look, I'm in this role because I want to deliver for patients, you know, both as a patient myself of the NHS, but also for patients around England. And so I have prioritised as Health Secretary women's health, and particularly maternity services. So believe me, I'm determined to do more.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Much, and thank you also for mentioning partners because they are often watching whilst their loved one is going through this very, very difficult experience. And so they are as affected by it as mum-to-bee or mummies. And so it's really important that we look after, I think, partners as well as mums to be.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I want to ensure that when we deliver our policies on this, that they are properly deliverable promises that mums to be and mothers will recognise and will welcome. So forgive me if I don't go into detail at the moment, but I have said not only are we building on this birth trauma report, but actually in fairness, and HS England is one year into a three-year improvement plan for maternity services. So, for example, we're rolling out a much better mental health support services for women. We're rolling out specialist services to prevent the most serious tears. And also what I call the are you okay mum check, which is six to eight weeks after mum has given birth, the GP asks mum. They have a specific appointment to ask mum, are you okay? Because the focus has historically tended to be on the baby, understandably, but we know we need to look after mum as well.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, seventy five years ago, yes, and if we look at the position of just the geographical position of some maternity units in our older hospital buildings, you get, you look at the facilities, you can see that, you know, and I hear this from midwives, I hear this from other health professionals, it feels sometimes as though historically it has been not the focus, but it's been a sort of, it's not had quite the priority that other parts of the hospital has. I mean, I ask you, in what other part of the hospital would a patient be expected to go through? What can be quite a painful episode, to put it mildly, they would be expected to go through that without pain relief. And I appreciate, of course, there are emergencies and we have to have patient choice is absolutely critical and maternity services, but that sort of example is unthinkable in other parts of the hospital. And that's why I really want to listen to women, but also make these changes as Health Secretary.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think we have to recognise when somebody is in pain or in distress, if they're frightened, then they are not going to be necessarily able to articulate their concerns. They're going to be worried about what is happening to them in that moment, what's happening to their baby. And this is why we have to both ensure that the culture, not just in maternity services, but throughout hospitals is one of transparency and non-defensive transparency, but also ensure that where patients, families have concerns, that they feel empowered and they know how to speak up. So one of the things I've introduced in my six months since being Health Secretary is Martha's rule, which came about from the tragic case of Martha at the age of 13, who died because her condition was not recognised and her parents didn't know where very articulate parents did.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, early, yeah, very much so. And I was put on a ward, and again, this is nobody's fault, but I was put on a ward where mums had just had their babies and they'd had very, very traumatic experiences. And you can imagine as being heavily pregnant and for this being my first baby and being on a wards and seeing other mums in a great deal of distress, it was quite frightening actually. Now, you know, that was 12 years ago. I know that the hospital concerned has rejigged things and there are better services and facilities available. But it's why for me this is personal. And my experience, by the way, was nothing compared to the experiences we've seen in this report. But I want every woman to feel safe and happy as she goes in to give birth. Of course I do.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's much more complicated than women living without type 1 and I had amazing care. I mean, I really can't fault it. But I also, there was a moment in the pregnancy where both I and the baby were at risk and we were rushed in.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I'm a mum as well as a Secretary of State for Health and I had my baby on the NHS and I have a long history with the NHS and I've been very open about it. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three and I have seen some brilliant parts of the NHS but I've also seen some of its darker corners and so the NHS is genuinely one of the reasons I came into politics because I want to help the brightest lights to flourish but also to help those people who are not getting the services that they should do. And this is particularly the case in women's health and indeed in maternity services as we've seen this week.”
2024-05-17 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Victoria Atkins One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source