Health minister collapses at despatch box during House of Lords debate

Baroness Blackwood suffers from pre-existing medical condition

A health minister fainted during a debate in the House of Lords as she answered questions from the despatch box.

Baroness Blackwood, a parliamentary under secretary of state at the department of health and social care, was answering an urgent question on the hospital listeria outbreak when she fell.

Footage from the chamber captured the moment she began to repeat herself before warning the other members.

The minister, who suffers from rare genetic condition Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), managed to utter “I apologise, I’m going to faint, I'm going to faint” before falling mid-sentence.

Just before the 2015 General Election Lady Blackwood revealed she suffered from the syndrome, which affects the joints and muscles.

EDS can affect people in different ways. For some, the condition is relatively mild, while for others their symptoms can be disabling.

Baroness Blackwood was appointed as a junior health minister in January and was elected as the Conservative MP for Oxford West and Abingdon in May 2010.