Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) respiratory, (b) cardiovascular and (b) cancer risks arising from vaping.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has commissioned and published a series of evidence reviews on vaping, with the final report of the series published in September 2022.
It found that in the short and medium term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking, but that vaping is not risk-free, particularly for people who have never smoked.
In summary, the 2022 review concluded that switching to vaping is likely to slow down respiratory disease development, compared to smoking. Using vaping products leads to a substantial reduction in biomarkers of toxicant exposure affecting cardiovascular disease, and vaping generally leads to lower exposure to many of the carcinogens responsible for the considerable health risks of smoking associated with cancer.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to decrease waiting times for diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population including assessments and diagnosis for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ICBs and National Health Service trusts should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline NG87: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. This NICE guideline aims to improve the diagnosis of ADHD and the quality of care and support that people receive.
While the NICE guideline does not recommend a maximum waiting time standard from referral for an assessment of ADHD or from assessment to the point of diagnosis, a diagnosis should be made as soon as possible, and we are clear that people should not have to face long waits. Consultant-led mental health services are covered by the NHS 18-week maximum waiting time.
We are supporting ICBs to generally expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people can get the support they need.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the uptake of cervical cancer screening.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To improve uptake of cervical screening, in some Primary Care Network areas, appointments can now be made in any Primary Care setting, rather than just at one’s own general practice during evenings and on weekends.
To further improve uptake, an evaluation on the acceptability and effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling is taking place. The YouScreen Study aims to provide evidence on the acceptability of self-testing and the HPValidate study aims to see if self-testing provides the same level of accuracy as an HPV test undertaken by a clinician.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of virtual wards on bed capacity in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Will Quince
As set out in the National Health Service Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, virtual wards enable patients to remain in their own home supported by family or carers to recover quicker in a more comfortable environment. In some cases, virtual wards can replace the need for admission, and in others facilitate people being able to safely leave hospital sooner.
The NHS has successfully rolled out 7,000 virtual ward beds, with capacity increasing by nearly 50% since the summer. It has a further ambition to scale up capacity ahead of next winter to above 10,000 beds, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 40-50 virtual ward beds per 100,000 people. This would mean more than 50,000 admissions a month.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Help Us, Help You campaign at tackling the barriers that deter patients from seeking NHS advice.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most recent campaign phase aiming to tackle the barriers that deter patients from seeking National Health Service advice focused on encouraging earlier diagnosis of cancer.
In November 2022, our tracking survey of the target audience showed a 15-percentage point increase in intention to act on possible signs of cancer vs May 2022. As of November 2022, urgent cancer referrals were also at an all-time high.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage uptake of breast cancer screening.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England are committed to the recovery and improvement of screening uptake for breast screening nationally. A number of measures have been taken to improve uptake of breast screening, including £10 million investment to deliver 29 new breast cancer screening units, 58 remote access upgrades and nearly 70 life-saving service upgrades. Breast Screening Offices are running extra screening sessions and fully optimising available appointments to clear the mammogram backlog.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve dementia diagnosis (a) in Watford and (b) nationally.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs, including in Watford, to commission services based on local population needs.
In December 2022, the recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7% was included in the National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance as part of the refined mental health objectives for 2023/24. This reinforces the importance of dementia as a key priority for NHS England and provides a clear direction for ICBs to support delivery of timely diagnoses within systems.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on analysing the responses from the call for evidence for the 10-year Cancer Plan.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government announced on 24 January that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy. Cancer will be a significant element of the new Strategy, and we will ensure that all the learning from the over 5,000 submissions to the call for evidence will be considered.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among (a) the public and (b) medical practitioners.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department is not currently taking specific steps to increase awareness of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among the public and medical practitioners.
General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The MindEd e-learning platform for medical professionals has several modules regarding ADHD.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have published the guideline ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management’ for healthcare professionals, commissioners and providers and people with ADHD, their families and carers. Integrated care boards and National Health Service trusts should have due regard to this guidance in exercising their functions.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage uptake of the HPV vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The HPV vaccination programme is delivered in different locations to maximise access and make getting vaccinated easier. This includes school-based delivery, with alternative sites set up for those not in mainstream education, or for those who missed their initial offer. GP practices also offer HPV vaccinations for anyone until their 25th birthday, and anyone unsure about their eligibility or vaccination status should contact their GP for advice.
To support this DHSC, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provide an annual communication campaigns to promote the HPV vaccine in settings like GP practices and universities. It is important that everyone takes up the vaccinations to which they are entitled; for themselves, their families, and wider society.