Department of Health and Social Care Alert Sample


Alert Sample

View the Parallel Parliament page for the Department of Health and Social Care

Information between 4th March 2024 - 14th March 2024

Note: This sample does not contain the most recent 2 weeks of information. Up to date samples can only be viewed by Subscribers.
Click here to view Subscription options.


Parliamentary Debates
Mental Health Patients: Discharge
21 speeches (1,455 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department of Health and Social Care
Oral Answers to Questions
164 speeches (11,329 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department of Health and Social Care
NHS Workforce: Revised Offer to Unions
1 speech (582 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department of Health and Social Care
Breast Cancer Screening
1 speech (451 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department of Health and Social Care
Dental Patient Charges Uplift 2024-25
1 speech (792 words)
Thursday 7th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department of Health and Social Care
Dementia Care in Hospital
15 speeches (4,817 words)
Wednesday 6th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department of Health and Social Care
Prescription Charges: Long-term Health Conditions
11 speeches (4,445 words)
Monday 11th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department of Health and Social Care
Equity in Medical Devices
1 speech (482 words)
Monday 11th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department of Health and Social Care
Hereditary Tyrosinemia Type 1
1 speech (269 words)
Monday 11th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department of Health and Social Care


Select Committee Documents
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - DHSC 23-24 Supplementary Estimates memorandum

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - DHSC Memo Tables 203-24 Estimates

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Correspondence - Deputy-chair of the BMA on the recommendations in the Committee's report on assisted dying-assisted suicide 04.03.24

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - The National Organisation for FASD
PHS0622 - Prevention in health and social care

Prevention in health and social care - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - The Automating for Better Care (A4BC) Forum, and The Automating for Better Care (A4BC) Forum
PHA0071 - Pharmacy

Pharmacy - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA)
PHA0074 - Pharmacy

Pharmacy - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Community Pharmacy England
PHA0073 - Pharmacy

Pharmacy - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - The ABPI
PHA0072 - Pharmacy

Pharmacy - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - NHS England
PSN0028 - Expert Panel: Evaluation of Government’s progress on meeting patient safety recommendations

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Department of Health and Social Care
WDT0001 - Work of the Department 2023-24

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Mr Mark Brooks OBE
IMH0114 - Men's health

Men's health - Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Department for Health and Social Care
PSN0029 - Expert Panel: Evaluation of Government’s progress on meeting patient safety recommendations

Health and Social Care Committee
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health on Early Support Hubs announcement 26.02.24

Health and Social Care Committee
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Minister of State on the publication of England's third Rare Diseases Action Plan

Health and Social Care Committee
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Secretary of State for Health on the implementation on Martha's Rule

Health and Social Care Committee
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Parliamentary Under Secretary of Sate on The Baby Loss Certificate Service 21.02.24

Health and Social Care Committee
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in hospital sites 28.02.244

Health and Social Care Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-05 10:00:00+00:00

Men's health - Health and Social Care Committee
Monday 4th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-04 16:15:00+00:00

Coronavirus: lessons learnt - Science, Innovation and Technology Committee


Written Answers
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Halton
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children in the Borough of Halton are waiting for (a) autism and (b) ADHD assessments; and what the average waiting times are for such assessments.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Data on the number of children on a waiting list for an assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not held centrally, but may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners. The Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board (ICB) has provided data on the number of children awaiting an ADHD assessment, and state that at the end of January 2024, there were 230 children awaiting an assessment in Halton. The longest wait time for an ADHD assessment in Halton is 53 weeks, with an average wait time for assessment and outcome or diagnosis of 46 weeks.

The Department is exploring options for improving national data collection and reporting on waiting times for ADHD assessments, to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way, and in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on ADHD. The National Institute for Health and Care Research has commissioned a research project to provide initial insights into local ADHD assessment waiting time data collection.

With respect to autism, NHS England publishes data on how many people are waiting for an autism diagnosis and for how long, which provides useful information nationally and locally to support local areas in improving their performance and reducing assessment and diagnosis waiting times. Data is not available publicly for the Borough of Halton, but is available publicly for the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, and therefore the ICB has provided data on numbers of children waiting for autism assessments in Halton. As of the end of January 2024, they state there were 848 children awaiting autism assessment in Halton. The longest wait time for an autism assessment panel and outcome or diagnosis in Halton is 107 weeks.

The NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB advises that it is working with providers to increase capacity, and has put waiting list initiatives in place to help reduce waiting times for autism assessments. The ICB also commissions pre and post diagnosis support for children and young people on autism and ADHD waiting lists, and is planning on commissioning a coordinator role to support families whilst they are waiting for neurodevelopmental assessments.

Streptococcus: Preventive Medicine
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent (a) death and (b) serious illness of (i) mothers and (ii) babies from Group B Streptococcal Infection.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) plays a key role in combatting Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection both through routine service activities and innovative research. Trends, characteristics, and outcomes of infection are monitored through surveillance, vital for prevention efforts, providing means to understand differential risk within our population, which has informed guidance change. Emergence of new strains is monitored at the reference laboratory, vital to understanding the potential vaccine coverage and escape once vaccines are licensed. Furthermore, genomic assessment of strains identified the presence clusters, an important finding highlighting the potential for spread of infection within hospitals.

The Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre at UKHSA Porton Down is part of an international consortium funded by the Gates Foundation to develop standardised assays to quantify immune responses to GBS in natural immunity studies and vaccine trials.

Surgery: Halton
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in Halton constituency have been waiting for elective care more that (a) 12 and (b) 18 months.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information is not held in the format requested. Data is collected on patients waiting over 52 weeks, 65 weeks and 78 weeks, with more information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2023-24/#Dec23

Streptococcus
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the review of the list of notifiable diseases as part of proposed amendments to the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, if he will take steps to add Group B Streptococcal Infection in schedule 1 of those Regulations.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Following a review of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 by the Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Government published a public consultation between 12 July and 15 November 2023, seeking views on proposed amendments to the regulations.

Adding Group B Streptococcal Infection to schedule 1 of the regulations was not included in the consultation proposals, but a small number of respondents suggested it could be suitable for inclusion.

A summary of responses to the consultation has been published. The Department and UKHSA are considering the consultation responses, and confirmation of any changes to the regulations will be published in due course.

Mobile Phones: Health Hazards
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will ask the Chief Medical Officers to update their review of the potential impact of mobile phone usage from a young age on children's development.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education recently reviewed the evidence, and found that there is still no clear scientific consensus of a negative impact of screentime and social media use on the mental health, or neurological or functional development of children and young people, and concerns are generally not supported through population-level data. Whilst further research is needed to better understand these issues, there are no plans to ask the Chief Medical Officers to update their review.

Mental Health: Construction
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people working in the construction industry.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment, and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform the mental health services provided by the National Health Service. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, NHS spending on mental health is forecast to have increased by £4.6 billion, compared to the target of £3.4 billion, as set out at the time of the Long Term Plan’s publishing.

Additionally, as announced at the Autumn Statement, we are investing £795 million of additional funding, which will increase the number of sessions per course of Talking Therapies treatment and broaden access, leading to an expected additional 384,000 people completing a course of treatment by 2028/29. It will also fund an additional 100,000 Individual Placement and Support places over five years, which will help people with severe mental illness gain and retain paid employment.

Maternal Mortality
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timescale is for rolling out the maternal morbidity indicator.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department recognises the importance of monitoring near-misses and severe maternal morbidity, and continues to consider how a maternal morbidity indicator can be implemented. No timescales for a national rollout of the indicator have been set.

NHS England has developed 14 Maternal Medicine Networks (MMN) across England to ensure that all women with chronic and acute medical problems around pregnancy, for instance diabetes or heart disease, have access to specialist management and care from physicians and obstetrics, tackling the biggest contributors to maternal mortality. The Department is in the process of commissioning the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit for Maternal and Neonatal Health, to undertake research into developing an MMN-specific maternal morbidity outcome indicator, and provide the prevalence of current morbidity as a baseline for ongoing monitoring.

Maternity Disparities Taskforce
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to assess the effectiveness of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Maternity Disparities Taskforce brings together experts from across the health system, the Government, and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle disparities in maternity outcomes and experience.

The taskforce is currently focused on developing a targeted pre-pregnancy toolkit which will encourage healthy behaviours and planning for pregnancy, by supporting women to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing. Once rolled out, the toolkit will be assessed for effectiveness against its aims.

Construction: Suicide
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to help reduce the number of suicides of construction workers.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published September 2023, sets out over 100 actions that will reduce the suicide rate within two and a half years. It is a multi-sector and cross-Government suicide strategy, with actions from a wide range of organisations that will be delivered over the next few years. It seeks to address common risk factors linked to suicide at a population level, some of which will be factors relevant to construction workers, to provide early intervention and tailored support.

Blood: Contamination
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have died since being (a) treated with contaminated blood products and (b) given contaminated blood transfusions in Liverpool, Walton constituency.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department does not hold information on the number of people who have died since being treated with contaminated blood products and given contaminated blood transfusions in Liverpool, Walton constituency.

Mental Health Services: Death
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department collates data on patients that die while under the care of a mental health provider.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department doesn't collect data on deaths in this group directly, but relies on data from several other sources. Under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009: Regulation 17, providers have a legal duty to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of the deaths of people detained, or liable to be detained, under the Mental Health Act. This data is routinely published in the CQC’s Monitoring the Mental Health Act annual report.

However, this only covers people liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act, not voluntary inpatients, and not those under other secondary mental health services. There is no national notification system for the Department, for deaths within this group.

All deaths must be registered, and deaths that appear to be sudden or violent, or deaths that occur in state custody, for instance where someone is detained under the Mental Health Act, must be referred to a coroner for an inquest to determine the cause of death. In a case where the coroner concludes that action can be taken to prevent future deaths, they can choose to issue a Section 28 report addressed to the individual or organisation they believe can take that action. All deaths of patients under Tier 4 care of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, are reported to ministers.

The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health uses death registrations and engagement with clinicians to identify deaths by suicide, by people in contact with mental health services, including both inpatients and people being cared for in the community.

Menopause: Mental Health Services
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for cognitive behavioural therapy for women with menopausal symptoms in London.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Improving care and support for menopause is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. It is important that all women experiencing the menopause have access to information and options to enable them to choose the best care to suit them. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines currently recommend that that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be recommended for low mood or anxiety that arises as a result of the menopause.

CBT is offered as part of the NHS Talking Therapies services. The latest data for NHS Talking Therapies in the London region shows that 35,410 females, including trans women, accessed National Health Service funded treatment during the period from October to December 2023. Of these, 91% completing treatment waited less than six weeks for their first appointment, against a target of 75%, and 98% completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks, against a target of 95%. Data is not collected separately for CBT, which is one type of talking therapy. Data is also not collected separately for females with menopausal symptoms. This data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors/performance-december-2023-and-quarter-3-2023-24-data

Blood: Contamination
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what psychological support is available for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products in Liverpool, Walton constituency.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Psychological support is available for those who are beneficiaries of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS), and their families. The EIBSS provides a grant of up to £900 a year for beneficiaries and family members to access counselling and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved talking therapies. In August 2022, this offer was expanded to enable beneficiaries to access funding for ongoing or longer-term treatment. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/talking-therapy-support

A bespoke psychological support service for infected blood victims, commissioned by NHS England, is currently being developed, intended to go live in early Summer 2024.

Suicide
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether suicide prevention funding for local authorities will be extended beyond April 2024.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England is supported by a wide range of Government funded activity, that will support people’s mental health. This includes an increase in mental health spending of £4.6 billion between 2018/19 and 2023/24, compared to the original £3.4 billion set out at the time of the NHS Long Term Plan’s publishing. Of this, £57 million has been specifically for suicide prevention and suicide bereavement services in all areas of the country. Future funding beyond the Long Term Plan is yet to be determined. From 2021 to 2025 we will have made over £15 million available to support suicide prevention in voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations through our suicide prevention grant funds.

Blood: Contamination
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who were (a) treated with contaminated blood products and (b) given contaminated blood transfusions by the NHS in Liverpool, Walton constituency.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department does not hold information on the number of people who were treated with contaminated blood products and given contaminated blood transfusions by the National Health Service in the Liverpool, Walton constituency.

Dental Services: Contracts
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform NHS dental contracts to ensure that they prioritise prevention.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. This included the transfer of all funding, Units of Dental Activity, and the management responsibility for National Health Service dentistry.

The current NHS dental contract already requires dental services to provide preventative care and treatment. To support dentists with this, NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities have produced a comprehensive toolkit for dentists, providing evidence-based interventions and advice on how dental health professionals can improve and maintain their patient’s oral health. This guidance is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online-only format.

As set out in Our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, we are working on further reforms to the 2006 contract, in discussion with the dental profession, to properly reflect the care needed by different patients, and more fairly remunerate practices. We expect to develop options for consultation with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards. The plan also includes a range of measures which will prevent poor oral health, particularly in the youngest children, including dental teams providing preventative advice and treatment to reception-age children in the most under-served areas, and a new Smile for Life programme which will provide education and advice for nurseries and other early years settings.

Medical Equipment
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waste of NHS equipment that can be safely reused.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency. The Department is working with industry, the health and care sector, and academic partners to develop medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery, by default. Within the medical technology sector, the Department is exploring options for reuse, remanufacture, and materials recovery in medical devices through its Design for Life programme. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, infrastructure and policy environments that support these aims.

The NHS clinical waste strategy, published on 7 March 2023, sets out NHS England’s ambition to transform the management of clinical waste by eliminating unnecessary waste, finding innovative ways to reuse, and ensuring waste is processed in the most cost effective, efficient, and sustainable way.

NHS England has developed a waste planning tool consistent with this clinical waste strategy for all National Health Service providers, which includes improved segregation, waste minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles that waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.

Department of Health and Social Care: WhatsApp
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department issues on the use of WhatsApp.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All departments in the Government, including arms lengths bodies, apply the published guidance, Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business, published by the Cabinet Office in March 2023. It applies to all individuals in the Government, including ministers, special advisers, officials, contractors, non-executive board members and independent experts advising ministers. The Department uses this central guidance, and has applied it since March 2023.

Laboratories: Disease Control
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Audit Office's value for money investigation into the UKHSA’s health security campus programme, published on 28 February 2024, what recent progress her Department has made on the UK Health Security Agency’s health security campus programme in Harlow; what her plans are for the programme; and for what reason the (a) cost estimate and (b) proposed timeline for the programme has been revised.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department and UK Health Security Agency are currently considering the plans for developing a health security campus in Harlow, and the alternatives for developing laboratory facilities at Porton Down. This acknowledges the post-pandemic landscape and reflects continuing annual investment in lab infrastructure. In addition, further assessments of scope, investment costs, lifecycle costs, and delivery risks are being conducted to assure plans for the programme.

As set out in the National Audit Office’s report, the cost estimate for the programme has increased for many reasons, including prolongation, inflation, additional VAT, delays caused by organisational change and the pandemic, as well as essential design changes due to regulatory and technological change.

Detailed design evaluations with construction partners resulted in a reset and extension of the schedule in 2020. Since then, cycles of strategic review, high level investment appraisal, organisational change, and learning from the pandemic have led to further delays to the schedule.

Dstl: Health and Safety
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to enforcement notice 310819694 served against the UK Health Security Agency on 31 July 2020 by the Health and Safety Executive, what steps she is taking to ensure that laboratories at Porton Down continue to comply with relevant safety requirements.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

In July 2020 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a Crown Improvement Notice in relation to the information, instruction, and training for the handling and restraint of animals infected with hazardous biological agents. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) complied with this notice to the satisfaction of the HSE, by their deadline of November 2020. The UKHSA has built upon this through a dedicated human factors specialist in its corporate health and safety function, and a compliance team within the Science Group.

The UKHSA Porton Down high security laboratories meet current HSE guidance. This is tested on a regular basis by site evidence-based inspections, conducted by the HSE.

Ophthalmic Services
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 188964 on Ophthalmic Services, what recent progress her Department has made on developing standard service specifications for enhanced eye care services.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The new standard of clinical specification for community eye care services, both minor and urgent, was published by the Local Optical Committee Support Unit on 23 February 2024. The specification will help local commissioners in getting the best outcomes, if they choose to commission these services as part of their local eye care provision. The specification is available at the following link:

https://locsu.co.uk/what-we-do/pathways/community-minor-and-urgent-eye-care-clinical-specification/

Out of Area Treatment: Families
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of having to visit (a) children and (b) babies in hospital out of area on low income families.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

There are a number of financial support schemes available to support low-income families, so that they can in turn support their children or babies while they are in hospital. These include: the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, which offers financial support to eligible parents and carers to enable them to make the journey to hospital while their baby or child is being cared for; the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023, which is due to provide qualifying new parents with a right to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when their baby requires neonatal care, in addition to existing parental leave entitlements, to help address the financial barriers faced by families; and the Sure Start Maternity Grant, which aims to help low-income families meet the wider costs of having a new baby.

Department of Health and Social Care: Publishing
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what reports and guidance their Department has produced in the last three financial years; and how much was spent on their (a) printing and (b) distribution.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information is not available in the format requested, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department is digital by default, and the primary channel for issuing reports and guidance is the GOV.UK website.

IVF
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the number of children born as a result of IVF treatment in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) publishes annual reports on the number of children born as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and has a live database containing this information, that can be found on their website. The following table shows the number of live births as a result of IVF treatments, in each of the last 10 years:

Year of treatment

Live births due to IVF treatments

2021

18,523

2020

15,280

2019

21,057

2018

21,236

2017

22,086

2016

21,305

2015

20,801

2014

20,066

2013

19,000

2012

17,967

Source: data is from the HFEA annual report on fertility treatment and the HFEA dashboard.

Note: live births for 2019, 2020, and 2021 are preliminary, and have not yet undergone quality assurance processes, to verify that the data is correctly recorded on the register.

Baby Care Units: Out of Area Treatment
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to ensure that families of children in Special Care Baby Units whose babies are being treated out of their area are provided with financial assistance.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme offers financial support to eligible parents and carers, to enable them to make the journey to hospital, in these circumstances. Families can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at their hospital for information and advice on travel costs and financial support.

NHS: Discrimination
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of racism and discrimination within the NHS; what steps NHS England are taking to collate data on this issue; and how they disseminate best practice to improve working culture within the NHS.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Health Service is one of the most diverse organisations in this country. As of September 2023, 27.3% of hospital and community health service staff reported an ethnic minority background. However, data shows that disabled staff, staff from ethnic minority background, and staff with other protected characteristics face a worse experience of working in the NHS when it comes to abuse, bullying and harassment, and career progression.

Since 2016, NHS England has published an annual Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report. Implementation of the WRES is a requirement for NHS commissioners and NHS healthcare providers, including independent organisations through the NHS standard contract. The WRES enables NHS organisations to better understand how they are performing against nine indicators covering issues such as board representation, career progression, and bullying and harassment. They are required to develop action plans to progress and improve against the indicators.

In June 2023, NHS England published the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan that sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the NHS workforce. NHS England has also provided guidance to assist trusts and integrated care boards in adopting an improvement approach to the implementation of this plan. It is supported by a repository of good practice and a dashboard, to enable organisations to measure progress.

Autism and Learning Disability: Hospital Wards
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address barriers to discharge from mental health inpatient units for autistic people and people with learning disabilities related to the provision of (1) suitable housing, and (2) social care support.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 26 January 2024, we published statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings. This guidance sets out key principles for how National Health Service bodies and local authorities across adult and children’s services should work together to support people to be discharged from mental health inpatient services, including mental health inpatient services for people with a learning disability and for autistic people. This guidance states that strong links should be made with relevant community services prior to, and during, the person’s stay in hospital, and that this should include links in relation to meeting the person’s needs related to health, social care, education, housing, and any other individual needs.

In 2023/24, we are investing an additional £121 million to improve community support, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. This includes funding for children and young people’s keyworkers. We continue to support the delivery of new supported housing by providing capital subsidies to providers, through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme in England. We have also made available up to £8.6 billion over this and next financial year, to support adult social care and discharge.

Lung Cancer
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to work with (a) the NHS and (b) other stakeholders to help improve the prognoses of people living with metastasized lung cancer.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues regarding cancer. The Department's ministers and officials also frequently meet with key stakeholders within the cancer community.

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops, and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales, and other devolved administrations. The programme includes 10 funded cancer audits, including in lung cancer, which were established in 2004. The audit aims to improve standards across the National Health Service for patients with lung cancer.

The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. Every patient with cancer is getting a full assessment of their needs, an individual care plan, and information and support for their wider health and wellbeing.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that the SNOMED CT classification system used by GPs in primary care is (a) adequate and (b) used consistently for diagnosing myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) is the structured clinical vocabulary for use in an electronic health record. It is a contractual requirement for all National Health Service healthcare providers in England to use SNOMED CT for capturing clinical terms, including diagnoses, within electronic patient record systems.

Within SNOMED CT, all content for myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome is contained within a single overarching code, with linked codes for mild, moderate, and severe forms. These can be used by all NHS healthcare providers, including general practitioners.

Updates to the United Kingdom’s edition of SNOMED CT are made by NHS England, with any user being able to submit requests for new or changed concepts and codes, via a central portal.

Lung Cancer: Medical Treatments
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to support (a) research into and (b) treatment of lung cancer caused by mutations in the TP53, EGFR, and KRAS genes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Since 2018/19 the NIHR has invested more than £44 million in funding and support for lung cancer research.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including lung cancer caused by genetic mutations. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including scientific potential, and the number and scale of successful funding applications.

The NIHR also supports the delivery, in the health and care system, of lung cancer research funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors. Since 2018/19 the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 400 lung cancer research studies.

The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity, including for all lung cancers. The focus on improving cancer treatment includes supporting advances in radiotherapy using cutting-edge imaging and technology to help target radiation doses at cancer cells more precisely.

The Department is supporting the National Health Service to roll out innovative lung cancer treatments, offered through the Cancer Drugs Fund and approved by the National Institute of Care and Excellence. Sotorasib was made available from March 2022 to target the kirsten rat sarcoma virus genetic mutation. Mobocertinib has been made available as treatment options for patients with the epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the regulation of Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates by the General Medical Council on the average (a) cost and (b) waiting times for cases to be (i) investigated and (ii) concluded under processes administered by that body.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The General Medical Council (GMC), as an independent organisation, will be responsible for the regulation of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs).

The GMC has confirmed that it will put resources in place to deal swiftly and fairly with future complaints and concerns about AAs and PAs, without impacting on service delivery for doctors. The cost of fitness to practise processes for AAs and PAs will depend on case volumes, which are currently unknown. These costs will be met from registration fees paid by AAs and PAs, supported by transitional funding from the Department.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Long Covid
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research the National Institute for Health and Care Research is undertaking on the potential link between Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and long covid.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has invested more than £50 million into 22 research projects for long COVID, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation.

In the last five years, the NIHR has allocated approximately £3.44 million to support nine research projects on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome. The NIHR is also co-funding, with the Medical Research Council, a £3.2 million study called DecodeME, which is the world’s largest genetic study of the disease.

The Department commissions research through the NIHR. It is not currently specifically funding research on potential links between ME and long COVID, but it welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to fund research to (a) tackle the causes of and (b) treat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including on the causes and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

In the last five years, the NIHR has allocated approximately £3.44 million to support nine research projects on ME and chronic fatigue syndrome. The NIHR is also co-funding, with the Medical Research Council, a £3.2 million study called DecodeME, which is the world’s largest genetic study of the disease.

Cancer: Diagnosis
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to work with (a) the NHS and (b) other stakeholders to increase earlier cancer diagnoses.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving early diagnosis of cancer remains a priority for NHS England and the Government. NHS England is working towards the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage one and two by 2028. The latest published data shows this was 54% between January to December 2021. Achieving this ambition will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.  Ministers and officials from the Department regularly meet with NHS England and other stakeholders, to discuss progress towards the ambition.

NHS England’s comprehensive Early Diagnosis strategy is based on six core strands of activity, from raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward, to implementing targeted interventions for particular cancer types that we know have previously experienced later stages of diagnosis.

Ophthalmic Services
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that appropriately-qualified optometrists are able to access NHS prescription forms to help reduce the onward referral of patients with eye health conditions.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

When commissioning community enhanced eye care services, we would expect integrated care boards to consider the need to give appropriately qualified optometrists access to National Health Service prescription forms.

Respiratory Diseases: Health Education
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis among (a) health professionals and (b) the public.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pulmonary fibrosis, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

In order to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, NHS England has established 13 Respiratory Clinical Networks across the country. These have been vital in providing clinical leadership for respiratory services and supporting services in primary care, including restoring spirometry, which is one of the tests used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis.

Furthermore, community diagnostic centres are also being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with co-ordinated diagnostic tests in the community, on a range of clinical pathways, including pulmonary fibrosis. With the aim of raising the standard of care that people with this idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis receive, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also publishes quality standards that define best practice, and areas in need of improvement.

Respiratory Diseases: Research
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research into pulmonary fibrosis.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pulmonary fibrosis, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

In order to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, NHS England has established 13 Respiratory Clinical Networks across the country. These have been vital in providing clinical leadership for respiratory services and supporting services in primary care, including restoring spirometry, which is one of the tests used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis.

Furthermore, community diagnostic centres are also being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with co-ordinated diagnostic tests in the community, on a range of clinical pathways, including pulmonary fibrosis. With the aim of raising the standard of care that people with this idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis receive, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also publishes quality standards that define best practice, and areas in need of improvement.

Defibrillators
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to defibrillators.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and rapid intervention is central to improving outcomes. Therefore, the Government wants to increase the number of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

This is why the Government has announced The Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, with a £1 million investment that will increase the number of AEDs within England. We want to ensure AEDs are located where they are needed most. Applications that are submitted for funding are assessed to ensure that each AED is installed in areas where there is a clear need for the device, such as high footfall areas or rural locations with extended ambulance response times. Priority will also be given to applications that are considered a cardiac health hotspot, with high levels of deprivation and low numbers of AEDs within the local area.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment with NHS England of the potential merits of left ventricular assist devices as long-term therapy for patients ineligible for transplantation.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has a commissioning specification for using ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a bridge to transplantation, or as a bridge to a decision on transplant suitability. The use of VADs as a treatment and destination therapy for patients who are not eligible for a transplant, is not routinely commissioned. NHS England has recently received a policy proposition for use of VADs as long-term destination therapy for selected patients with advanced heart failure. This proposition is currently under evaluation in line with the published Policy Methods Process, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-clinical-policies/

Drugs: Supply Chains
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on building resilient global supply chains for branded medicines.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The resilience of the United Kingdom’s supply chains is a key priority for the Government. Strong supply chains are crucial to building a resilient UK, which can withstand and proactively tackle the challenges of today and the future.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regularly engages the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), and other departments, as well as the wider health and care system and industry, on building resilient medical supply chains.

For example, the DHSC engaged closely with the DBT on the publication of its Critical Imports and Supply Chain Strategy in January 2024, which sets out the Government’s overarching vision for the UK’s critical imports, and outlines the actions we will take to further enhance supply resilience. The strategy includes a spotlight on medical supply chains, and as part of the strategy’s development, medical industry representatives were invited to participate in DBT-led roundtables last year.

Respiratory Diseases: Health Services
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) care for people living with pulmonary fibrosis; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of waiting times on patient care.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pulmonary fibrosis, although it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

In order to increase awareness of pulmonary fibrosis, NHS England has established 13 Respiratory Clinical Networks across the country. These have been vital in providing clinical leadership for respiratory services and supporting services in primary care, including restoring spirometry, which is one of the tests used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis.

Furthermore, community diagnostic centres are also being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with co-ordinated diagnostic tests in the community, on a range of clinical pathways, including pulmonary fibrosis. With the aim of raising the standard of care that people with this idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis receive, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also publishes quality standards that define best practice, and areas in need of improvement.

Dental Services: Somerset
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Somerton and Frome)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices stopped providing NHS services in Somerset in the last five years.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The number of dentists who performed National Health Service work in the last five years, as well as the number of dentists who started and stopped NHS work in the Somerset Integrated Care Board in each year, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics/2022-23-annual-report

We do not hold data on the proportion of dental practices that have stopped providing NHS services in Somerset in the last five years.

Doctors and Nurses: Bournemouth
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in Bournemouth in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold information on National Health Service staff by where they reside. Data on staff working across hospital and community health services is collected and reported based on the hospital trust that employs staff. Therefore, data is presented for the relevant local hospital trust.

The acute hospital trust that covered Bournemouth in 2010 was The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In 2020 there was a merger with Poole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and now Bournemouth is covered by the newly formed University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The Department does not hold data on NHS staffing levels for 2024, however the latest data published by NHS England is for November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

Direct comparisons of the change in staffing over time are difficult to make, due to the impact of the merger in 2020. However, the following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors and nurses working at The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2010, and the number of FTE doctors and nurses working at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust in November 2023:

Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Doctors

Nurses (including health visitors)

Doctors

Nurses (including health visitors)

November 2010

395

1,001

-

-

November 2023

-

-

1,110

2,274

Health: Disadvantaged
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of a call from over 250 members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) for a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase healthy life expectancy by five years, by 2035. We are supporting people in living healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care provide the best treatment and care for patients, and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.

The Government continues to work together, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)-led Levelling Up Inter-Ministerial Group, to progress the wider levelling up agenda. The levelling up missions are mutually reinforcing, and we are exploring new and existing opportunities for cross-Government action on the drivers of health, to support progress on the health mission and our wider common interests.

We are also working with the DLUHC to maximise opportunities to develop partnerships through English devolution and the Levelling Up Partnerships programme. These provide opportunities to test what works at a local and regional level, to support the health mission.

Health: Disadvantaged
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-government strategy to tackle health inequalities.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase healthy life expectancy by five years, by 2035. We are supporting people in living healthier lives, helping the National Health Service and social care provide the best treatment and care for patients, and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.

The Government continues to work together, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)-led Levelling Up Inter-Ministerial Group, to progress the wider levelling up agenda. The levelling up missions are mutually reinforcing, and we are exploring new and existing opportunities for cross-Government action on the drivers of health, to support progress on the health mission and our wider common interests.

We are also working with the DLUHC to maximise opportunities to develop partnerships through English devolution and the Levelling Up Partnerships programme. These provide opportunities to test what works at a local and regional level, to support the health mission.

Food: Hygiene
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department holds data on the number of (a) establishments that received food hygiene inspections in 2023 and (b) ratings that were issued by each category defined by the Food Standards Agency.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency does not hold data on the number of establishments receiving a food hygiene inspection in 2023. However, the attached tables show the number of food hygiene interventions carried out by local authorities in each country, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, for the periods 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023. This includes interventions other than inspections and audits, such as visits to monitor and verify the standards of food hygiene, visits to take samples, visits to give advice, or the assessment of documents provided by the food business. It also includes the number of food hygiene inspections and audits carried out by local authorities in each country, for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023.

Local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland issued 199,262 food hygiene ratings from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. The attached tables show the data for each country by each category of food establishment, and the aggregate totals for the three countries. A food establishment may have been subject to more than one intervention, or may have received more than one food hygiene rating during 2023.

Patients: Travel
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment (a) from the point of diagnosis, (b) throughout the duration of the cancer treatment and (c) without means testing.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.

The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.

Patients: Travel
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretaries of State for (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Transport on financial support for people aged up to 25 with cancer for cross-border travel within the UK to receive treatment.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.

The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme: Cancer
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by (a) cancer patients up to 25 and (b) families of a child with cancer (i) in the UK and (ii) from Northern Ireland who travel to receive treatment in England.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.

The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme: Cancer
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in supporting (a) people with cancer aged up to 25 and (b) their families with the cost of travel to cancer treatment.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.

The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.

Dental Services: Devon
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department provides ringfenced funding for dentistry to the Devon integrated care board.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are currently considering arrangements for 2024/25. NHS England provided guidance for the integrated care boards (ICBs) that required dental allocations to be ringfenced in 2023/24, with any unused resources to be re-directed to improve National Health Service dental access in the first instance, rather than being spent on other services. In November 2023, NHS England confirmed that where ICBs had not spent all of their allocation on improving access to dentistry, they would be able to retain any underspend, and use it to balance their bottom line and any other pressures. ICBs will decide how to use any forecast underspend in line with this guidance.

Epilepsy: Cannabis
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take in the next year to help ensure that children with severe epilepsy can access effective cannabis-based medications through the NHS.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The licensed cannabis-based medicine epidyolex is prescribed routinely for three forms of epilepsy, for patients aged two years old and above. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines.

We continue to call on the manufacturers of these products to conduct research, and we are working with regulatory, research, and National Health Service partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of these products, to enable evidence based prescribing decisions.

Animal Experiments
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has commissioned independent research to make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of using (a) dogs as a second species and (b) new non-animal scientific approaches in toxicological testing.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The use of dogs as a second species in toxicological testing remains an important step in the development of safe new medicines, treatments, technologies, and other chemicals. The use of animals in science is highly regulated, and includes a three-tier system of licensing which licenses each establishment, project, and individual involved in performing regulated procedures involving animals.

Currently, there is no independent research commissioned by the Government, that makes a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of using dogs as a second species and new non-animal scientific approaches in toxicological testing. Instead, the Government’s current approach is to actively support and accelerate advances in biomedical science and technologies to reduce reliance on the use of animals in research and importantly, to avoid some of the scientific limitations of animal models of human diseases. This includes stem cell research, the development of cell culture systems that mimic the function of human organs, imaging, and new computer modelling techniques.

UK Research and Innovation remains strongly committed to supporting the development of techniques that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), and provides core funding for the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The NC3Rs works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of 3Rs technologies and ensure that advances in the 3Rs are reflected in policy, practice, and regulations on animal research.

NHS: Older Workers
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on (a) physical and (b) mental wellbeing of the NHS workforce working beyond the age of the current state pension age.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No recent assessment has been made. National Health Service staff are not expected to work beyond state pension age, though some choose to do so. The NHS Pension Scheme is generous, and provides good pensions for retirement. The scheme offers a partial retirement option, which allows staff to draw down part of their pension and continue working in a more flexible way.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to going beyond statutory requirements in supporting and promoting flexible working opportunities. NHS England have produced guidance for employers on supporting their older workforce, together with a wide-ranging package of support for NHS staff. This includes tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their well-being, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

NHS: Older Workers
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) physical and (b) mental ability of NHS staff to work beyond the state pension age.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No recent assessment has been made. National Health Service staff are not expected to work beyond state pension age, though some choose to do so. The NHS Pension Scheme is generous, and provides good pensions for retirement. The scheme offers a partial retirement option, which allows staff to draw down part of their pension and continue working in a more flexible way.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to going beyond statutory requirements in supporting and promoting flexible working opportunities. NHS England have produced guidance for employers on supporting their older workforce, together with a wide-ranging package of support for NHS staff. This includes tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their well-being, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

NHS: Older Workers
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) physical and (b) mental ability of NHS staff to work beyond the state pension age.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No recent assessment has been made. National Health Service staff are not expected to work beyond state pension age, though some choose to do so. The NHS Pension Scheme is generous, and provides good pensions for retirement. The scheme offers a partial retirement option, which allows staff to draw down part of their pension and continue working in a more flexible way.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to going beyond statutory requirements in supporting and promoting flexible working opportunities. NHS England have produced guidance for employers on supporting their older workforce, together with a wide-ranging package of support for NHS staff. This includes tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their well-being, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

Estradiol
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help resolve supply chain issues for Estradot patches; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on such supplies.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products licensed for supply in the United Kingdom. There have been issues with the supply of a limited number of HRT products, primarily due to very sharp increases in demand, but the supply position has improved considerably over the last year, following intensive work with industry. We have held roundtables, and continue to do so, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists to discuss the challenges they are facing, and what needs to be done to address them.

Intermittent supply issues were affecting estradot patches, which resulted in the use of a Serious Shortage Protocol, to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative brand of estradiol patches where estradot patches were not available. However, the issues have now been resolved and supplies should be available. We are continuing to engage closely with the supplier to monitor the supply position and drive action.

Estradiol
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of Estradot patches for women with menopausal symptoms.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products licensed for supply in the United Kingdom. There have been issues with the supply of a limited number of HRT products, primarily due to very sharp increases in demand, but the supply position has improved considerably over the last year, following intensive work with industry. We have held roundtables, and continue to do so, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists to discuss the challenges they are facing, and what needs to be done to address them.

Intermittent supply issues were affecting estradot patches, which resulted in the use of a Serious Shortage Protocol, to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative brand of estradiol patches where estradot patches were not available. However, the issues have now been resolved and supplies should be available. We are continuing to engage closely with the supplier to monitor the supply position and drive action.

Liraglutide
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on tackling shortages and disruption to supplies of liraglutide for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following intensive work with industry, the broad supply position for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in the United Kingdom has improved. However, global supply issues remain with specific medicines, including Victoza (liraglutide). We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert on the 3 January 2024 on how to manage patients requiring these medicines, with input from expert clinicians. We continue to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of GLP-1 RAs for UK patients, and to resolve the remaining supply issues as quickly as possible, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.

We know how distressing and frustrating medicine supply issues can be, and the Department will continue to help ensure that these critical medicines reach diabetes patients. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.

Maternity Services: Ethnic Groups
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 12 of the Fifth Special Report of Session 2022–23 of the Women and Equalities Committee entitled Black maternal health: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report, published on 30 June 2023, HC 1611, what the outcome was of the scoping exercise undertaking by NHS England on (a) the implications of co-ordinating the Maternal Health Disparities review and (b) assessing how to bring relevant stakeholders together.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The scoping work, to fully understand the implications of co-ordinating this review and determining the best way to bring the relevant stakeholders together, has not yet started.

Kidney Diseases: Health Services
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that patients diagnosed with early stage chronic kidney disease are monitored for disease progression.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guidance covers: monitoring for those patients at risk; pharmacological management; and referral where appropriate. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203

In addition to evidence-based guidance to support clinicians in diagnosing problems of the kidney, we are also working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old, who are not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.

NHS England, through the Renal Services Transformation programme and regional renal networks, is undertaking a series of initiatives to provide better and more joined-up care across care settings, reduce health inequalities, and focus on prevention and timely intervention through streamlined patient pathways, to address the management of deteriorating kidney disease. Regional renal clinical networks have already prioritised CKD diagnosis and prevention of progression within their transformation ambitions. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, with a view to earlier treatment and raising the profile for the use of specific drugs in the early management of patients diagnosed with the disease. The transformation programme launched a renal toolkit earlier last year for use by care systems, that outlines principles to support better management of patients identified with CKD throughout their patient journey.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed CKD and glomerulonephritis in 2011, concluding that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended. The UK NSC has not looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new published, peer-reviewed evidence which may suggest the case for a new screening programme. Proposals to change or review a topic early can be submitted via the UK NSC’s annual call which will open in July 2024.  More information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

Kidney Diseases: Health Education
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of chronic kidney disease among high-risk groups.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guidance covers: monitoring for those patients at risk; pharmacological management; and referral where appropriate. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203

In addition to evidence-based guidance to support clinicians in diagnosing problems of the kidney, we are also working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old, who are not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.

NHS England, through the Renal Services Transformation programme and regional renal networks, is undertaking a series of initiatives to provide better and more joined-up care across care settings, reduce health inequalities, and focus on prevention and timely intervention through streamlined patient pathways, to address the management of deteriorating kidney disease. Regional renal clinical networks have already prioritised CKD diagnosis and prevention of progression within their transformation ambitions. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, with a view to earlier treatment and raising the profile for the use of specific drugs in the early management of patients diagnosed with the disease. The transformation programme launched a renal toolkit earlier last year for use by care systems, that outlines principles to support better management of patients identified with CKD throughout their patient journey.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed CKD and glomerulonephritis in 2011, concluding that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended. The UK NSC has not looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new published, peer-reviewed evidence which may suggest the case for a new screening programme. Proposals to change or review a topic early can be submitted via the UK NSC’s annual call which will open in July 2024.  More information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

Care Workers: Migrant Workers
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact on numbers of carers and senior carers in healthcare in the UK as a result of changes to immigration rules preventing their dependents from moving to the UK.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Home Office has published estimates of the impact these changes might have on the number of people applying to work in the sector from outside the United Kingdom. A copy of these estimates is attached.

Heart Diseases: Waiting Lists
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are on the waiting list for an echocardiogram.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on patients waiting for the test “Cardiology – Echocardiography” is publicly available in the DM01 Data set, which can be found in at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/

Health Services: Ethnic Groups
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help ensure NHS services record ethnicity data in line with the 2021 Census categories.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The current Information Standard for collection of ‘Ethnic Category’ uses the seventeen classifications set out in the 2001 census, which are available at the following link:

https://www.datadictionary.nhs.uk/attributes/ethnic_category_code_2001.html

The information standard also allows for the collection of a wider range of ethnic classifications. However, as stated in the 2001 Information Standard, ‘these more detailed categories are purely optional and for local use in any way or not at all, provided that any such use does not cut across the national standard.’

The issue of equality monitoring, by reference to ethnicity and the other eight protected characteristics, is being considered at national level under the programme called the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UISPC).

Evaluating the use of the 2021 ethnicity census categories is part of this programme. The UISPC Publication Steering Group is reporting to NHS England and the Department this year which will inform a view on the next steps, including any plans for publication and any consultation and implementation timetable.

Health Services: Ethnic Groups
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether ethnicity codes used in the NHS are in line with the (a) 2001 and (b) 2011 Census codes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The current Information Standard for collection of ‘Ethnic Category’ uses the seventeen classifications set out in the 2001 census, which are available at the following link:

https://www.datadictionary.nhs.uk/attributes/ethnic_category_code_2001.html

The information standard also allows for the collection of a wider range of ethnic classifications. However, as stated in the 2001 Information Standard, ‘these more detailed categories are purely optional and for local use in any way or not at all, provided that any such use does not cut across the national standard.’

The issue of equality monitoring, by reference to ethnicity and the other eight protected characteristics, is being considered at national level under the programme called the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UISPC).

Evaluating the use of the 2021 ethnicity census categories is part of this programme. The UISPC Publication Steering Group is reporting to NHS England and the Department this year which will inform a view on the next steps, including any plans for publication and any consultation and implementation timetable.

Health Services: Ethnic Groups
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which ethnicity codes are collected by NHS services.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The current Information Standard for collection of ‘Ethnic Category’ uses the seventeen classifications set out in the 2001 census, which are available at the following link:

https://www.datadictionary.nhs.uk/attributes/ethnic_category_code_2001.html

The information standard also allows for the collection of a wider range of ethnic classifications. However, as stated in the 2001 Information Standard, ‘these more detailed categories are purely optional and for local use in any way or not at all, provided that any such use does not cut across the national standard.’

The issue of equality monitoring, by reference to ethnicity and the other eight protected characteristics, is being considered at national level under the programme called the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UISPC).

Evaluating the use of the 2021 ethnicity census categories is part of this programme. The UISPC Publication Steering Group is reporting to NHS England and the Department this year which will inform a view on the next steps, including any plans for publication and any consultation and implementation timetable.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times a year NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group prioritisation meetings take place; and what the dates are for each meeting in 2024.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group prioritisation meetings are held once per year. NHS England aims to hold the next prioritisation meeting on either 20 or 21 of May 2024.

Obesity: Drugs
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled New drugs pilot to tackle obesity and cut NHS waiting lists, published on 7 June 2023, what her Department's timetable is for launching the obesity drugs pilot.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to the safe introduction of the newest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved weight loss drugs into the National Health Service. NHS England is leading on the design and development of the pilots which will consider how to safely prescribe these treatments outside of a hospital setting, with wraparound support provided in the community or digitally. We are working with NHS England to finalise the pilots, and further details will be available in due course.

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether postural tachycardia syndrome is a rare disease as defined in the UK Rare Diseases Framework.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Rare Diseases Framework defines rare diseases as having a prevalence of lower than one in 2000 people. Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) UK has estimated the prevalence of PoTS to be 0.2%, or four in 2000 people, which is higher than the definition of a rare disease under the framework.

The Government recognises the significant impact that PoTS symptoms can have on an individual’s life, and is committed to ensuring those with PoTS have timely access to a diagnosis and appropriate treatment and services.

Dental Services
Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the (a) highest, (b) lowest, (c) average and (d) median rate for a unit of dental activity in (i) Suffolk Coastal constituency, (ii) Suffolk, (iii) inner London, (iv) outer London, (v) Sheffield and (vi) England in financial year 2023-24.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is published on the total financial value of contracts, as well as the total number of units of dental activity (UDA) commissioned, on the NHS Business Services Authority’s Open Data Portal. This data is available at the following link:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-contractor-monthly-general-dental-activity

From this data, the requested UDA values can be calculated by taking the total financial value, and dividing it by the number of UDAs commissioned. Currently the portal holds monthly data, from April to November 2023.



Department Publications - News and Communications
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Unions will recommend new offer to NHS consultants
Document: Unions will recommend new offer to NHS consultants (webpage)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Increased 2024 funding for nursing in care homes
Document: Increased 2024 funding for nursing in care homes (webpage)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: The 2024 Budget and NHS productivity
Document: The 2024 Budget and NHS productivity (webpage)
Sunday 10th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: £35 million investment to boost maternity safety
Document: £35 million investment to boost maternity safety (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Get Your Blood Pressure Checked
Document: Get Your Blood Pressure Checked (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: New laws to cut migration and tackle care worker visa abuse
Document: New laws to cut migration and tackle care worker visa abuse (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: New action to tackle ethnic and other biases in medical devices
Document: New action to tackle ethnic and other biases in medical devices (webpage)


Department Publications - Research
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024
Document: (ODS)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024
Document: (ODS)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024
Document: (ODS)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024
Document: (ODS)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024
Document: Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: March 2024 (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Equity in medical devices: independent review - final report
Document: Equity in medical devices: independent review - final report (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Equity in medical devices: independent review - final report
Document: Equity in medical devices: independent review - full report (web accessible) (PDF)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Equity in medical devices: independent review - final report
Document: Equity in medical devices: independent review - full report (print ready) (PDF)


Department Publications - Transparency
Friday 8th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Voluntary scheme aggregate net sales and payment information: February 2024
Document: Voluntary scheme aggregate net sales and payment information: February 2024 (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: DHSC: spending over £500, December 2023
Document: DHSC: spending over £500, December 2023 (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: DHSC: spending over £500, December 2023
Document: (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: DHSC: spending over £25,000, December 2023
Document: (webpage)


Department Publications - Guidance
Friday 8th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Infection prevention and control in adult social care: acute respiratory infection
Document: PPE requirements when caring for a person with suspected or confirmed acute respiratory infection (ARI) (PDF)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Infection prevention and control in adult social care: acute respiratory infection
Document: Infection prevention and control in adult social care: acute respiratory infection (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: National flu immunisation programme plan 2024 to 2025
Document: National flu immunisation programme plan 2024 to 2025 (webpage)


Department Publications - Policy paper
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Government response to the report of the equity in medical devices: independent review
Document: Government response to the report of the equity in medical devices: independent review (webpage)


Department Publications - Policy and Engagement
Monday 11th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Equity in medical devices: independent review call for evidence
Document: Equity in medical devices: independent review call for evidence (webpage)


Deposited Papers
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Letter dated 01/03/2024 from Lord Markham to Peers regarding questions raised on the government's NHS dentistry recovery plan statement: clarifications to responses concerning the value of Units of Dental Activity, golden hello scheme, and number of new courses of treatment, and further details on supervision and provisional registration of overseas-qualified dentists. 2p.
Document: Dentistry.pdf (PDF)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department of Health and Social Care
Source Page: Letter dated 01/03/2024 from Lord Markham to Peers regarding the debate following a statement on the launch of Pharmacy First: age eligibility for Pharmacy First urinary tract infections pathway, electronic prescriptions and payment to pharmacies by the NHS Business Service Authority, and cost of non-medical items. 2p.
Document: Markham.pdf (PDF)



Department of Health and Social Care mentioned

Calendar
Wednesday 13th March 2024 1 p.m.
Public Accounts Committee - Oral evidence
Subject: DHSC Annual Report & Accounts 2022-23
At 1:30pm: Oral evidence
Sir Chris Wormald - Permanent Secretary at Department of Health and Social Care
Shona Dunn - Second Permanent Secretary at Department of Health and Social Care
Andy Brittain - Director General, Finance at Department of Health and Social Care
Professor Dame Jenny Harries - Chief Executive at UK Health Security Agency
Julian Kelly - Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at NHS England
View calendar


Parliamentary Debates
Covid-19: Lockdown Costs and Benefits
21 speeches (1,547 words)
Wednesday 13th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Cabinet Office
Mentions:
1: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con - Life peer) Due diligence was carried out on all companies that were referred to the Department of Health and Social - Link to Speech
2: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con - Life peer) That is more a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care than for me, but module 4 will look - Link to Speech

Budget Resolutions
181 speeches (50,203 words)
Tuesday 12th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
HM Treasury
Mentions:
1: Dean Russell (Con - Watford) may not be able to respond to them, because I appreciate that they fall more within the remit of the Department - Link to Speech
2: Valerie Vaz (Lab - Walsall South) of Health and Social Care. - Link to Speech

Carers: National Strategy
22 speeches (1,586 words)
Tuesday 12th March 2024 - Lords Chamber

Mentions:
1: Lord Evans of Rainow (Con - Life peer) for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education and the Department - Link to Speech
2: Lord Evans of Rainow (Con - Life peer) put it in 2021, we set out a strategic approach to empowering unpaid carers, and in October 2023 the Department - Link to Speech

Clinical Indemnities Reform
1 speech (436 words)
Thursday 7th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Maria Caulfield (Con - Lewes) The Department of Health and Social Care will evaluate its implementation, including the long-term impact - Link to Speech

World Book Day
27 speeches (11,168 words)
Wednesday 6th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
Scotland Office
Mentions:
1: Damian Hinds (Con - East Hampshire) Start for Life’s Little Moments Together home-learning environment campaign, in partnership with the Department - Link to Speech



Select Committee Documents
Thursday 14th March 2024
Written Evidence - Institute of Employment Rights
HRW0029 - Human Rights at Work

Human Rights at Work - Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Found: committee advises the Government on the pay the judiciary, senior civil servants, senior NHS and Department

Thursday 14th March 2024
Formal Minutes - Formal Minutes of Joint Committee on Human Rights Session 22 - 23

Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Found: Protecting human rights in care settings Gillian Keegan MP, Minister of State for Care at Department

Thursday 14th March 2024
Written Evidence - Department for Education
YDP0077 - The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

Access to public services for young disabled people - Public Services Committee

Found: opportunity to address the Public Services Committee on Wednesday 17 January, alongside the DWP/DHSC

Thursday 14th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Chair to Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP regarding slides used during evidence session, dated 13 March 2024

European Scrutiny Committee

Found: Mixtures (Amendment and Consequen�al Provision ) Regula�ons 2023 .Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Thursday 14th March 2024
Government Response - Government's response to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee's report 'The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages'

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Department of Health and Social Care

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, NHS England, and Department for Health and Social Care

Public Accounts Committee

Found: Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Written Evidence - SME Business Efficiency Identification and Delivery
DHSC0002 - DHSC Annual Report & Accounts 2022-23

Public Accounts Committee

Found: DHSC0002 - DHSC Annual Report & Accounts 2022-23 SME Business Efficiency Identification and Delivery

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Report - Fourth Report - Accessibility of products and services to disabled people

Women and Equalities Committee

Found: for Work and Pensions; Maria Caulfield MP , Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, Department

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Report - Twentieth Report - Monitoring and responding to companies in distress

Public Accounts Committee

Found: economic growth HC 25221 Monitoring and responding to companies in distress Number Title Reference 6th Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - HM Treasury 2023-24 Supplementary Estimate memorandum tables

Treasury Committee

Found: Inquiry Cabinet Office -4.8 -4.8 OBR Contribution from Welsh Office 0.1 0.1 Infected Blood Inquiry DHSC

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Office for Budget Responsibility, Budget Responsibility Committee, and Budget Responsibility Committee

Treasury Committee

Found: Tom Josephs: That is an allocation to the Department of Health and Social Care for next year, which

Friday 8th March 2024
Formal Minutes - Work and Pensions Committee - Formal Minutes 2023-24 - as at 7 February 2024

Work and Pensions Committee

Found: Sean Povey, Deputy Director, Fit Note and Statutory Sick Pay, Joint Work and Health Directorate, Department

Friday 8th March 2024
Government Response - Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Second report from Session 2023-24

Public Accounts Committee

Found: estate safely and effectively. 2b: PAC recommendation: In line with the approach already taken by DHSC

Friday 8th March 2024
Government Response - Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the First report from Session 2023-24

Public Accounts Committee

Found: 11 First report of Session 2023- 24 Department of Health and Social Care The New Hospital Programme

Friday 8th March 2024
Report - Nineteenth Report - MoD Equipment Plan 2023–2033

Public Accounts Committee

Found: HC 118 4th Use of evaluation and modelling in government HC 254 5th Local economic growth HC 252 6th Department

Thursday 7th March 2024
Formal Minutes - Formal Minutes 2023-24

Public Accounts Committee

Found: of Health and Social Care, dated 20 October 2023 Accounting Officer Assessment for ECHO 2 Programme

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Local Government Association (LGA)
YDP0074 - The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

Access to public services for young disabled people - Public Services Committee

Found: believe it would be possible or desirable for the DfE or Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Department for Work and Pensions
YDP0075 - The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

Access to public services for young disabled people - Public Services Committee

Found: A Deputy Director from the DWP/DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate, Jennifer Heigham, attended a

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Stop the Arc
STO0072 - Strategic transport objectives

Strategic transport objectives - Transport Committee

Found: the Cambridge Biomed Campus, claimed as the great driver of EWR, including the serious lack of DHSC

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Government Response - Government Response to the Committee's First Report - The antimicrobial potential of bacteriophages

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Department of Health and Social Care

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Ministry of Justice Supplementary Estimate Memorandum 2023-24

Justice Committee

Found: Social Care Death in Custody £0.070m Department of Health & Social Care BOLD Programme Transfer (DHSC

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from Minister for State for Health and Secondary Care, regarding Women with very high risk of breast cancer not called for annual testing, dated 5 March 2024

Women and Equalities Committee

Found: Further details of this issue can be found in a letter from NHS England to the DHSC Secretary of State

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Carers UK, Carers Scotland, University of Sheffield, Centre for Social Justice, Terry Kirton, and Hertfordshire County Council

Work and Pensions Committee

Found: In your work with the LGA has there ever been a meaningful analysis of the interplay between the Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Oral Evidence - The University of Glasgow, and Department for Exiting the European Union

The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent - Constitution Committee

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care had not had to think about this very much, because in a

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-06 09:15:00+00:00

National Audit Office Strategy and Main Estimate 2024-25 - Public Accounts Commission Committee

Found: We have seen the delay in the DHSC overall accounts and some concerns you have had about those.

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Department for Education Supplementary Estimate Memorandum 2023-24

Education Committee

Found: 700 -700 BCT Out to OFQUAL - Qualification review 0 -2,000 -2,000 BCT Out to DHSC

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Report - Third Report - Health barriers for girls and women in sport

Women and Equalities Committee

Found: Hon Damian Hinds MP, Minister for Schools, DfE; the Departments included in the NPAT are DCMS; DfE; Department

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Report - Fifteenth Report - Managing government borrowing

Public Accounts Committee

Found: HC 118 4th Use of evaluation and modelling in government HC 254 5th Local economic growth HC 252 6th Department



Written Answers
Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, whether he made an assessment with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of freezing alcohol duty on public health.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care on a variety of issues, including alcohol policy.

The Treasury also engaged extensively with external stakeholders and other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, as part of the policy development and delivery process for the new alcohol reforms.

The Government has delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for over 140 years. From 1 August 2023, all alcoholic products are now taxed by strength.

Health Services and Social Services: Pay
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland administration on pay for (a) health and social care and (b) NHS workers.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

In the months leading up to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engaged with the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the issue of pay awards for healthcare workers in Northern Ireland. In addition to these meetings, he met with trade union representatives on this important matter.

Healthcare is a devolved matter and pay awards are ultimately a matter for the Department of Health. The UK Government has provided the Executive with a £3.3 billion financial package to stabilise Northern Ireland’s finances. This package includes £584m to provide public sector pay awards for 2023-24. It will be up to the Executive to decide on the level of pay awards and to balance these costs against other priorities.

Life Sciences: Technology Transfer
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to improve the life sciences translation process.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government supports translational research in life sciences in several ways. MRC’s translational research group supports research through partnerships with other funders and major higher education institutions and through dedicated funding schemes. DSIT also co-funds the Health Innovation Network (HIN), alongside the Department of Health and Social Care. The network was established to help adoption and spread of innovation at pace and scale to improve health outcomes and generate economic growth. The Network connects the NHS, academic organisations, local authorities, charities and industry to facilitate change across health and social care economies, with a focus on improving outcomes for patients.

Water: Contamination
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on levels of ill health caused by contact with sewage contaminated water.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Defra and Department of Health and Social Care officials have had and continue to have ongoing conversations about the public health impacts of contact with sewage contaminated water and how to manage the risks going forward.

Food Supply: Carbon Emissions
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the Food Data Transparency Partnership Eco Working Group to produce its report detailing proposals to measure and communicate carbon emissions in the food system.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP) was established in early 2023, as a means to work jointly across Defra, the Food Standards Agency, the Department of Health and Social Care, industry, academia and civil society. The FDTP aims to drive positive change in the food system through better and more transparent food data. On environmental sustainability, the FDTP has focused on the approach needed to deliver consistent, accurate and accessible data on quantifying and communicating the environmental impact of food across the agri-food system. This will support our agri-food industry to remain internationally competitive in the context of global growing demand for data on environmental impacts associated with products or services sold.

The FDTP Eco Working Group continues to develop the detail of proposals to measure and communicate greenhouse gas emissions in the food system. The group has identified several interim priorities for the short and medium term. These will be communicated to industry as part of the FDTP's continued programme of engagement.

Health: Research
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to tackle regulatory systems that slow down research.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Government is committed to delivering a regulatory system that is pro-innovation, easy to navigate and facilitates commercialisation of science and technology applications, as set out in the Science and Technology Framework.

Regulatory systems for life sciences are led by DHSC, and its arms-length-body the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently launched a new, streamlined process for clinical trial applicants. The Department works with DHSC wherever appropriate on regulatory matters; for example, delivering the Government Chief Scientific Adviser's life sciences review and supporting on the wider implementation of the O'Shaughnessy Review into commercial clinical trials.

Homelessness
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent homelessness upon discharge from a public institution.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

In September 2022, we published our cross-government strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’ setting out how we are investing almost £2.4 billion over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This sets out a ‘prevention first approach’, including bringing forward investment so that nobody leaves a public institution for the streets, whether that is a hospital, prison, care or the asylum system.

Homelessness and hospital discharge guidance was jointly published by DHSC and DLUHC on 26 January 2024 for staff in care transfer hubs and others involved in planning discharge of patients (including NHS, local authority, housing and other partners). The guidance is available here: Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Menopause: Employment
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support women experiencing menopause in the workplace.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department of Health and Social Care continue to identify menopause as a priority area in the second year of the Women’s Health Strategy, and Government more widely sees women’s health, and particularly menopause, as an essential factor when supporting the recruitment and retention of older women in the workforce.

Helen Tomlinson - Head of Talent (UK & Ireland) at The Adecco Group - was appointed to the voluntary role of Government’s Menopause Employment Champion on 6 March 2023 by the Department for Work and Pensions and is working closely with the Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work. The Menopause Champion is driving awareness of issues surrounding menopause in the workplace; encouraging employers to develop policies that create a more supportive environment to help women stay in work and progress.

On World Menopause Day (18 October 2023), Government launched the Menopause Resources Hub on the Help to Grow portal - new guidance providing businesses, large and small, with the resources they need to help educate their organisation and workers about the menopause.

The report “No Time to Step Back” summarises the work of Helen Tomlinson in the first six months after her appointment and highlights progress made by businesses during this time. The Menopause Employment Champion’s 12-month progress report “shattering the silence about the Menopause” is due to be published on International Women’s Day.

Health Professions and Teachers: Training
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to work with universities to help train (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) teachers.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The department is working closely with Higher Education Providers (HEP’s) to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access a world class education. This remains a top priority and is fundamental to the government’s ambition to level-up skills, growth, and economic opportunity across the country.

Record numbers of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff will be trained in England as part of the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), which was published in June 2023. By significantly expanding domestic education, training and recruitment, we will have more healthcare professionals working in the NHS. The LTWP will:

  • Double the number of medical school places to 15,000 a year by 2031/32. To support this ambition, the government will increase the number of medical school places by a third, to 10,000 by 2028/29. This will build on the expansion of medical school places in England to 7,500 per year, a 25% increase, which the government completed in 2020 and that delivered five new medical schools. The government has accelerated the LTWP expansion by allocating 205 additional medical school places for 2024/25, a year ahead of target. The process for allocating 350 additional places for the 2025/26 academic year is underway and further details will be confirmed in due course.
  • Record numbers of nurses are now working in the NHS, and the Plan will increase adult nursing training places by 92%, taking the number of total places up to nearly 38,000 by 2031/32. To support this ambition, the government will increase training places to nearly 28,000 in 2028/29. This forms part of the ambition to increase the number of nursing and midwifery training places to around 58,000 by 2031/32. The government will work towards achieving this by increasing places to over 44,000 by 2028/29, with 20% of registered nurses qualifying through apprenticeship routes compared to just 9% now. The number of nursing applicants still continues to outstrip the places on offer. Nursing and midwifery training places are competitive, and lead to an attractive and important career in the NHS.
  • Introduce medical degree apprenticeships, with pilots running from 2024/25 so that by 2031/32, 2,000 medical students will train via this route. The department will work towards this ambition by growing medical degree apprenticeships to more than 850 by 2028/29

The government is backing the LTWP with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching a record £6.1 billion over the next two years. The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Office for Students, as well as the General Medical Council to actualise the delivery of the plan.

The department will continue to work with the sector so everyone who wants to pursue a rewarding healthcare career has the support and opportunities to do so.

There are record numbers of teachers in England’s schools, with more than 468,000 working in state-funded schools across the country, which is 27,000 (6%) more than in 2010. The department works closely with schools and universities to recruit the best teachers, in the subjects and areas they are needed most. The department has already put in place a range of measures for trainees in the 2023/24 academic, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to apply to train in key subjects such as chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics.

The department is also offering a levelling up premium worth up to £3,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the department is doubling the rates of the levelling up premium to up to £6,000 after tax. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.

The department is also working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and an employer-led trailblazer group to develop the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA). The TDA will be a new route into the teaching profession, for both primary and secondary teachers, through which successful candidates will ‘earn while they learn’ and attain an undergraduate degree and qualified teacher status while working in a school.  Subject to IfATE approvals, the TDA standard will be published in spring 2024, with the candidate recruitment commencing from autumn 2024 and training commencing in autumn 2025.



Early Day Motions
Wednesday 6th March

Public Accounts Committee report entitled Reducing the harm from illegal drugs

12 signatures (Most recent: 26 Mar 2024)
Tabled by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
That this House welcomes the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, Reducing the harm from illegal drugs, published in February 2024; notes that this acknowledges recent progress in workforce recruitment and countering county lines; heeds and highlights the PAC’s warning that, should the Joint Combating Drugs Unit, the Department of Health …
Wednesday 6th March

Maternity and A&E services at Rochdale Infirmary

1 signatures (Most recent: 6 Mar 2024)
Tabled by: George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain - Rochdale)
That this House calls upon the Department of Health and Social Care and the Mayor of Greater Manchester to restore maternity and A&E services at the Rochdale Infirmary without delay.


Bill Documents
Mar. 14 2024
Bill 183 2023-24 (as introduced)
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024
Bill

Found: for capital purposesNet Cash Requirement (£) (£) (£) Department of Health and Social Care Departmental

Mar. 14 2024
Bill 183 2023-24 (as introduced) - large print
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024
Bill

Found: for capital purposesNet Cash Requirement (£) (£) (£) Department of Health and Social Care Departmental

Mar. 08 2024
Bill 160 EN 2023-24
Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill 2023-24
Explanatory Notes

Found: • These Explanatory Notes have been prepared by the Department of Health and Social Care, with the

Mar. 08 2024
Memorandum from the Department of Health and Social Care to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill 2023-24
Delegated Powers Memorandum

Found: Memorandum from the Department of Health and Social Care to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform

Mar. 08 2024
Bill 160 2023-24 (as introduced)
Support for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill 2023-24
Bill

Found: Parents etc (Information) Bill EXPLANA TORY NOTES Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department



Department Publications - Transparency
Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (02) 2022-23 Reporting Cycle Update (PDF)

Found: Those outstanding are three Ministerial Departments (DHSC, DCMS and MoJ), three non-Ministerial Departments

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (10) Performance Report Thematic Review (PDF)

Found: c) the Scottish Government d) the Executive Committee o f the Northern Ireland Assembly e) the Department

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 November 2023 agenda (PDF)

Found: Preparer Updates: - Devolved Administ rations - Local Government - DHSC Kim Jenkins, Stuart

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023 (webpage)

Found: FRAB 151 (07) - LGPS in Health Accounts (DHSC) PDF, 158 KB, 5 pages This file may not be suitable for

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (08) FReM 2023-24 update and FReM 2024-25 new release (PDF)

Found: guidance added on the Climate Change Levy is based on the existing guidance on this levy within the DHSC

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (07) - LGPS in Health Accounts (DHSC) (PDF)

Found: The change would be reflected in the DHSC Group Accounting Manual (GAM) via a late update to 2023/

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Cabinet Office
Source Page: Cabinet Office: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, October to December 2022
Document: (webpage)

Found: discuss the Procurement Bill Jeremy Quin 2022-11-05 Stephen Groves, NHSE To deep dive into DHSC



Department Publications - News and Communications
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Will Quince MP appointed to conduct review into food procurement
Document: Will Quince MP appointed to conduct review into food procurement (webpage)

Found: ideally placed to lead this work given his wealth of experience in numerous departments, including DHSC



Department Publications - Policy paper
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Work and Pensions
Source Page: Shattering the silence about menopause: 12-month progress report
Document: Shattering the Silence about Menopause: 12-Month Progress Report (PDF) (PDF)

Found: In particular, the Department of Health and Social Care, who have identified menopause as a priority

Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Spring Budget 2024
Document: Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spring Budget 2024 (PDF)

Found: This covers services provided by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: North East deeper devolution deal
Document: North East deeper devolution deal (PDF)

Found: England, the Environment Agency , Forest ry Commission, and the Marine Management Organisation • The Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: A vision for Leeds: a decade of city centre growth and wider prosperity
Document: A vision for Leeds: a decade of city centre growth and wider prosperity (PDF)

Found: The Leeds City Region hosts 22% of UK digital health technology jobs, including headquarters for the Department



Department Publications - Statistics
Thursday 7th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: October to December 2023
Document: (ODS)

Found: 0.333333333333333 0 0 3 1 0.333333333333333 0 0 3 2 0.666666666666667 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dept. of Health DHSC

Thursday 7th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: October to December 2023
Document: (ODS)

Found: 3 1 0.333333333333333 0 0.0 3 2 0.666666666666667 0 0.0 3 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 [X] 0 [X] Dept. of Health DHSC



Department Publications - Consultations
Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Vaping Products Duty consultation
Document: Vaping Products Duty Consultation (PDF)

Found: Previous engagement 1.11 In October 2023, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) conducted

Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Vaping Products Duty consultation
Document: Vaping Products Duty consultation (webpage)

Found: In January 2024, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) announced a range of restrictions it will



Non-Departmental Publications - Transparency
Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 4 December 2023
Document: FOI 23/871 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Quadrivalent (Influenza vaccine) is licensed in the USA and was authorised for temporary supply by the UK Department

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 18 December 2023
Document: FOI 23/905 - attachment 3 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Department of Health and Social Care.

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 18 December 2023
Document: FOI 23/908 - attachment 2 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: of Health and Social Care that acts to protect a nd promote public health and patient safety, by ensuring

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 18 December 2023
Document: FOI 23/905 - attachment 6 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Department of Health and Social Care, UK COVID- 19 vaccines delivery plan, 11 January 2021 .2021.

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 18 December 2023
Document: FOI 23/905 - attachment 7 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Department of Health and Social Care, UK COVID- 19 vaccines delivery plan, 11 January 2021 . 2021.

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 6 November 2023
Document: FOI 23/724 - Further response - clarification (PDF)
Transparency

Found: In addition, you may wish to contact the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) and NHS Business

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 27 November 2023
Document: FOI 23/421 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: A copy of the November 17th 2020, letter from the DHSC to the MHRA requesting authorisation, on a temporary

Mar. 14 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 27 November 2023
Document: FOI 23/858 - attachment (PDF)
Transparency

Found: ) to MHRA CEO (Dame June Raine).a) Letter dated 17 November 2020 (ref 201117_Letter to MHRA from DHSC

Mar. 12 2024
Independent Reconfiguration Panel
Source Page: Independent Reconfiguration Panel: code of practice
Document: Independent Reconfiguration Panel: code of practice (webpage)
Transparency

Found: of practice includes: the purpose of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel the responsible minister Department



Non-Departmental Publications - News and Communications
Mar. 12 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Modified MAGEC X system for early onset scoliosis treatment can now be used in the UK
Document: Modified MAGEC X system for early onset scoliosis treatment can now be used in the UK (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mar. 11 2024
NHS England
Source Page: New action to tackle ethnic and other biases in medical devices
Document: New action to tackle ethnic and other biases in medical devices (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care commissioned senior health experts to identify potential biases

Mar. 08 2024
UK Health Security Agency
Source Page: Further HIV progress needed among heterosexual women
Document: Further HIV progress needed among heterosexual women (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: As part of the government’s HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group, DHSC, UKHSA and partners have

Mar. 07 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Ganaxolone approved as first anti-seizure medication to treat patients with rare epileptic seizure disorder
Document: Ganaxolone approved as first anti-seizure medication to treat patients with rare epileptic seizure disorder (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mar. 07 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Rozanolixizumab approved to treat adult patients with the autoimmune disease generalised myasthenia gravis
Document: Rozanolixizumab approved to treat adult patients with the autoimmune disease generalised myasthenia gravis (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mar. 06 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Piflufolastat approved as diagnostic tool for adults with prostate cancer
Document: Piflufolastat approved as diagnostic tool for adults with prostate cancer (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mar. 06 2024
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Source Page: AI and Public Standards: 2023 regulators survey and responses
Document: Responses from regulators on how they are adapting to the challenges posed by AI (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: To help mitigate these risks, the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) regulatory reform agenda

Mar. 06 2024
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Source Page: AI and Public Standards: 2023 public bodies survey and responses
Document: Responses from public bodies on how they are adapting their governance processes for AI (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: such algorithms for automated decision making.Department of Health and Social Care (November 2023) DHSC

Mar. 06 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Source Page: Rubidium (Rb82) Generator approved as a diagnostic tool for people with heart disease
Document: Rubidium (Rb82) Generator approved as a diagnostic tool for people with heart disease (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.



Non-Departmental Publications - Guidance and Regulation
Mar. 12 2024
NHS England
Source Page: National flu immunisation programme plan 2024 to 2025
Document: National flu immunisation programme plan 2024 to 2025 (webpage)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: From: UK Health Security Agency, NHS England, and Department of Health and Social Care Published 12



Non-Departmental Publications - Statistics
Mar. 06 2024
HM Revenue & Customs
Source Page: Understanding the vaping market
Document: (webpage)
Statistics

Found: In 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a command paper proposing action to



Non-Departmental Publications - Policy paper
Mar. 06 2024
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Source Page: AI and Public Standards: an update on progress made against our 2020 recommendations
Document: AI and Public Standards: an update on progress made against our 2020 recommendations (PDF)
Policy paper

Found: Development Office, Cornwall Council, Kent Police, Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero, and Department



Deposited Papers
Thursday 14th March 2024

Source Page: Local government stewardship: Reports and letters regarding developments in statutory interventions in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council and Thurrock Council and the Tees Valley Mayor’s initial response to independent review. 12p.
Document: 220203_LGA_CPC_report_for_Parly.pdf (PDF)

Found: council’s overall response to the pandemic was identified as an example of best practice by the Department

Thursday 14th March 2024

Source Page: Local government stewardship: Reports and letters regarding developments in statutory interventions in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council and Thurrock Council and the Tees Valley Mayor’s initial response to independent review. 12p.
Document: 231215_Sandwell_VfM_Governance_review_Grant_Thornton.pdf (PDF)

Found: demise of PHE are reflects and ensure all relevant COVID -19 communications from local MPs and DHSC

Wednesday 13th March 2024

Source Page: Letter dated 03/04/2024 from Steve Russell, National Director for Vaccination and Screening and Chief Delivery Officer, NHS England, and Deborah Tomalin, Director of Screening, NHS England to Victoria Atkins MP and Jonathan Marron, Director-General, Department of Health and Social Care, regarding referrals into the very high risk breast screening programme - action the NHS is taking to support affected women. 5p.
Document: Letter_NHSE_to_DHSC_SoS_-_very_high_risk_breast_screening.pdf (PDF)

Found: Tomalin, Director of Screening, NHS England to Victoria Atkins MP and Jonathan Marron, Director-General, Department

Wednesday 13th March 2024

Source Page: Clinical indemnity: survey of regulated healthcare professionals with private cover. Incl. technical appendix. 53p.
Document: Clinical-Indemnity-Survey-Report.pdf (PDF)

Found: Healthcare Professionals with Private Cover Commissioned by D epartment of Health & S ocial Care (DHSC

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Work and Pensions
Source Page: Letter dated 07/03/2024 from Viscount Younger of Leckie to Lords regarding clarification to points made during his closing remarks in the debate on the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Specified Diseases and Prescribed Occupations) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and the Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2024. 4p.
Document: IIDB_Follow_up_Letter.pdf (PDF)

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care invested around £122 million in cancer research in 2022 -23

Friday 8th March 2024

Source Page: I. Letter dated 04/03/2024 from Chris Hopson, Chief Strategy Officer, NHS England, to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding a correction to the answer to Written Parliamentary Questions 332 and 12694. Incl. appendix. 2p. II. Letter dated 04/03/2024 from Andrew Stephenson MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding a document for deposit in the House libraries. 1p.
Document: Diagnostics_PQ_Error_Letter.pdf (PDF)

Found: Secretary of State, Correction to written Parliamentary Question s I wish to draw the attention of the Department




Department of Health and Social Care mentioned in Scottish results


Scottish Government Publications
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Chief Economist Directorate
Source Page: Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics for 4th Quarter 2023
Document: Public Sector Employment Scotland Tables Q4 2023 (ODS)

Found: and Road, UK Statistics Authority, Cabinet Office, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Chief Medical Officer Directorate
Source Page: Teratogenic Medicines Advisory Group minutes: November 2023
Document: Teratogenic Medicines Advisory Group minutes: November 2023 (webpage)

Found: included.It was noted the medicine policy team has been liaising with NHS England and are aware the DHSC