Biography
Claire Hughes has engaged on health and social care through three debate speeches, focusing on mental health among young people, NHS waiting lists for autism and learning disability diagnosis, and substance misuse harms. Her contributions highlight concerns about the root causes of declining youth mental health—including financial insecurity, sleep quality, and youth service cuts—as well as NHS capacity issues and the escalating use of ketamine among young people. The member has called for dedicated Government time debate and welcomed specific funding packages to address diagnostic backlogs.
Generated from their own Hansard record, below
“…Youth Futures Foundation for the launch of a new report, which reveals the root causes of declining mental health among young people. The report identified four key factors: not just social media and smartphone use, but financial insecurity, declining sleep quality and cuts to youth services.”
Record by topic
- Mental health481st of 8806.0
- Learning disability & autism654th of 8993.0
- NHS waiting lists323rd of 5343.0
What they’ve said
“…Gentleman agree that the substantial package of mental health support announced by the Welsh Labour Government this weekend, including £5.6 million to tackle the long waiting list for children awaiting diagnosis for conditions such as hyperactivity disorder and autism, is to be welcomed?…”
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill · 2025-07-01 · Read on Hansard ↗
“Parents in my constituency are deeply worried about the prevalence of ketamine in our communities, and staff at my local hospital tell me that an increasing number of young people are presenting with serious harm caused by the drug, including life-lasting bladder damage.”
Business of the House · 2025-01-09 · Read on Hansard ↗
Contributions reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.