Biography
Caroline Voaden has engaged extensively on health and social care through 39 debate speeches, with recurring focus on mental health provision, learning disabilities and autism, and NHS challenges including dentistry access and waiting lists. Her contributions reflect particular concern for rural health inequalities, exemplified by speeches addressing mental health crises among isolated agricultural workers, NHS dentist recruitment failures in Devon towns, and the strain on social prescribing organisations despite demonstrated cost-effectiveness. She has also raised broader systemic issues including SEND reform, pelvic mesh redress, and suicide prevention services tailored to rural communities.
Generated from their own Hansard record, below
“…As the hon. Member set out, pica is a condition most commonly associated with autism, learning disabilities and some mental health conditions, whereby a person compulsively eats non-food items such as soil, paper, hair, small objects or chemicals.”
Record by topic
- Mental health18th of 880102.0
- Learning disability & autism29th of 89968.5
- Dementia5th of 25133.0
- Cancer38th of 62230.0
- Unpaid carers26th of 28318.0
- Public health & prevention92nd of 68815.0
- Dentistry access22nd of 19415.0
- Heart disease & stroke23rd of 39815.0
- NHS waiting lists101st of 53412.0
- GP access29th of 2419.0
- NHS & care workforce/staffing41st of 3029.0
- Adult social care & reform61st of 3769.0
- Palliative & end of life care213th of 5686.0
- Hospital discharge / bed-blocking41st of 1393.0
- Assisted dying193rd of 3713.0
- Diabetes68th of 1903.0
- Elderly care & frailty76th of 2363.0
- A&E & ambulance response107th of 2583.0
- Rare diseases80th of 2023.0
What they’ve said
“…s council to be financially viable when they deem remoteness irrelevant to the delivery of every service except adult social care, and when no one can even work out where the authority could be based? How can rural Devon expect growth in every postcode when there is clearly no consideration of the economic growth poten…”
Rural Upper-tier Local Authorities · 2026-09-02 · Read on Hansard ↗
“…The new formula has included remoteness only as an uplift in the formula for adult social care. As my hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (John Milne) said, a rural child is not easier to service than a rural adult.”
Rural Upper-tier Local Authorities · 2026-09-02 · Read on Hansard ↗
“…Those organisations are doing incredible work, turning lives around, particularly for those with mental health challenges, but their projects receive absolutely no funding, although the National Academy for Social Prescribing has identified a return of up to £8.56 for every £1 invested.”
Social Prescribing · 2026-07-14 · Read on Hansard ↗
“…ry to change lives, yet we are missing out on the cheapest, easiest and quickest way to turn around the vicious mental health crisis we see in our children and young people—a crisis that affects their ability to learn, to achieve, to work and to live a healthy and happy life. The answer is outdoor learning.”
Outdoor Education · 2026-07-07 · Read on Hansard ↗
“Does the hon. Member agree that the national golden hello scheme to attract and retain NHS dentists is just not working? Only four of 19 posts in Devon have been filled, and the Fresh Dental practice in Dartmouth will end the provision of NHS dental services at the end of June.”
NHS Dentistry · 2026-06-15 · Read on Hansard ↗
Contributions reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.