Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of findings from the Royal College of Radiologists, published in May, showing a regional disparity in wait times for cancer treatment in 2023, with 11 per cent of patients in England waiting more than 31 days for treatment after the decision to treat had been confirmed, compared to 19 per cent of patients in the North East and Yorkshire.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
According to the latest data, of those 10,328 cancer patients referred for first or subsequent treatment for radiotherapy in March 2024, 89.7% were treated within 31 days. The proportion of patients waiting more than 31 days for radiotherapy treatment in March 2024 was therefore 10.3%. This has decreased by 4.5% since January 2024.
We are aware of regional disparities in wait times for cancer treatment through NHS England’s data, and are considering the findings made by the Royal College of Radiologists. Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access of cancer diagnostics, including regional disparities, is a key focus of the Government. NHS England has commissioned six new cancer clinical audits in breast cancer, both primary and metastatic, as well as ovarian, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancer. These will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatments and outcomes for patients. The first outcomes of these audits are expected in September 2024.
The Department is working closely with NHS England to make sure we have the right workforce with the right skills up and down the country. In 2023/24, NHS England invested an additional £50 million to increase the number of cancer and diagnostic specialists.
The Government is also backing the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. The plan sets out an aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32, and to work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29.
We are building our cancer workforce. In January 2024 there were over 35,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the cancer workforce, an increase of over 13,300, or 60.7% since January 2010. Regarding clinical oncology specifically, as of January 2024, there are currently over 1,600 FTE doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 30, or 2.2%, more than last year, over 300, or 27.7%, more than 2019, and over 600, 66.5%, more than in 2010. This includes over 900 FTE consultants. This is over 40, or 5.1%, more than last year, over 100, 22.0%, more than in 2019, and over 400, 80.2%, more than in 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the 15 per cent shortfall in clinical oncologists, as estimated in the Royal College of Radiologists workforce census, does not impact the operational performance of radiotherapy services.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
According to the latest data, of those 10,328 cancer patients referred for first or subsequent treatment for radiotherapy in March 2024, 89.7% were treated within 31 days. The proportion of patients waiting more than 31 days for radiotherapy treatment in March 2024 was therefore 10.3%. This has decreased by 4.5% since January 2024.
We are aware of regional disparities in wait times for cancer treatment through NHS England’s data, and are considering the findings made by the Royal College of Radiologists. Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access of cancer diagnostics, including regional disparities, is a key focus of the Government. NHS England has commissioned six new cancer clinical audits in breast cancer, both primary and metastatic, as well as ovarian, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancer. These will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatments and outcomes for patients. The first outcomes of these audits are expected in September 2024.
The Department is working closely with NHS England to make sure we have the right workforce with the right skills up and down the country. In 2023/24, NHS England invested an additional £50 million to increase the number of cancer and diagnostic specialists.
The Government is also backing the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. The plan sets out an aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32, and to work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29.
We are building our cancer workforce. In January 2024 there were over 35,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the cancer workforce, an increase of over 13,300, or 60.7% since January 2010. Regarding clinical oncology specifically, as of January 2024, there are currently over 1,600 FTE doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 30, or 2.2%, more than last year, over 300, or 27.7%, more than 2019, and over 600, 66.5%, more than in 2010. This includes over 900 FTE consultants. This is over 40, or 5.1%, more than last year, over 100, 22.0%, more than in 2019, and over 400, 80.2%, more than in 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of cancer patients currently waiting more than 31 days for radiotherapy treatment.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
According to the latest data, of those 10,328 cancer patients referred for first or subsequent treatment for radiotherapy in March 2024, 89.7% were treated within 31 days. The proportion of patients waiting more than 31 days for radiotherapy treatment in March 2024 was therefore 10.3%. This has decreased by 4.5% since January 2024.
We are aware of regional disparities in wait times for cancer treatment through NHS England’s data, and are considering the findings made by the Royal College of Radiologists. Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access of cancer diagnostics, including regional disparities, is a key focus of the Government. NHS England has commissioned six new cancer clinical audits in breast cancer, both primary and metastatic, as well as ovarian, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancer. These will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatments and outcomes for patients. The first outcomes of these audits are expected in September 2024.
The Department is working closely with NHS England to make sure we have the right workforce with the right skills up and down the country. In 2023/24, NHS England invested an additional £50 million to increase the number of cancer and diagnostic specialists.
The Government is also backing the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. The plan sets out an aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32, and to work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29.
We are building our cancer workforce. In January 2024 there were over 35,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the cancer workforce, an increase of over 13,300, or 60.7% since January 2010. Regarding clinical oncology specifically, as of January 2024, there are currently over 1,600 FTE doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 30, or 2.2%, more than last year, over 300, or 27.7%, more than 2019, and over 600, 66.5%, more than in 2010. This includes over 900 FTE consultants. This is over 40, or 5.1%, more than last year, over 100, 22.0%, more than in 2019, and over 400, 80.2%, more than in 2010.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition; how many of their recommendations in relation to nutrition have been implemented; and how many have not been implemented, and why.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is a committee of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), and provides independent scientific advice to ministers, as well as risk assessments on nutrition and related health issues. The SACN undertakes robust consideration of the evidence for its risk assessments, before providing dietary recommendations.
Ministers are informed of the SACN’s publications and risk assessments on the same basis as official statistics. Following publication, ministers consider the recommendations and policy options for implementation, including for application across the United Kingdom, and involvement of the devolved administrations where appropriate.
To date, all of the SACN’s dietary recommendations have been accepted by the Government. However, on occasion, recommendations have been adapted for implementation. For example, in 2016 the SACN recommended a reference nutrient intake for vitamin D of 10 micrograms per day for the general population, for the whole year. However, the Government advises that the general population only takes a daily 10 microgram supplement during the winter months, to take account of the contribution from the sun during the summer months.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they will assess (1) wider productivity, and (2) economic benefits, when considering new immunisation programmes for infant respiratory syncytial virus.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. The JCVI evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme was based on the health benefits of an infant RSV programme and the potential healthcare cost savings from preventing cases and hospitalisations.
The Department did not ask the JCVI to complete an assessment of wider productivity and economic benefits of an immunisation programme, and the Department did not assess this separately for RSV.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of infant respiratory syncytial virus on (1) paediatric intensive care bed capacity, (2) NHS elective care capacity, (3) GP visits, and (4) economic productivity.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not made specific assessments of the impact of infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on paediatric intensive care bed capacity, National Health Service elective care capacity, and general practice visits, as RSV is often accompanied by other respiratory viruses and bacterial infections, and it is therefore difficult to measure the exact contribution of RSV. Neither has the Department assessed the wider productivity and economic benefits of RSV specifically.
The NHS plans for a wide range of scenarios ahead of each winter, and will continue to adapt plans based on respiratory infections surveillance, including RSV, and NHS activity data. This includes specialised commissioning led winter surge planning for paediatric critical care, as well as wider winter planning. For RSV specifically, this includes the annual immunisation programme, which continues to be managed and reviewed in accordance with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). For 2024 to 2025, preparedness may include rolling out a new RSV vaccination programme following the JCVI’s recommendations issued in September 2023, subject to approval from the Department.
The health impact of infant RSV was assessed in a scientific paper published in Lancet Regional Health Europe in January 2024, and has been assessed previously in scientific papers published by Public Health England and others. This work contributed to the JCVI’s assessment of RSV’s impact, and advice to implement an immunisation programme to prevent infant RSV.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they are gathering on countries currently implementing immunisation programmes for infant respiratory syncytial virus regarding (1) acceptance and uptake, and (2) hospitalisations.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency continues to monitor international reporting. In the United States, as of 31 January 2024, maternal immunisation was 17.9%. By February 2024, 43% of infants under eight months old had received a dose of nirsevimab.
In Galicia, Spain, 92.9% of 5,357 infants born between 25 September 2023 and 4 February 2024 had nirsevimab, plus 79.7% of 5,823 in a catch-up programme. The peak of hospitalisation rate in infants under six months old was 102 per 100,000, for season 2023 to 2024 during the week starting 27 November 2023 compared to a median of 776 for seasons 2017 to 2018, 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020, peaking during the first week of January 2024.
In Luxembourg, 84% of 1,524 infants born in hospital between early October and mid-December 2023 received nirsevimab. Luxembourg observed a decrease in hospitalisation in infants under six months old of 69% between the 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 respiratory syncytial virus seasons.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to declining immunisation rates in the UK, what level of prioritisation the Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency are giving to the adoption of new immunisation programmes with high uptake.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The introduction and adoption of new immunisation programmes and achieving high uptake across all immunisation programmes remains a high priority for the Government. We achieve high uptake for both life-course and seasonal vaccinations, with over 90% for pre-school diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis and among the highest in the world for flu vaccination. The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme has been the biggest vaccine drive in the history of the National Health Service, implementing the largest volume of new vaccines in the shortest time, and repeatedly with boosters. 157.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations were delivered in England from December 2020 to the end of January 2024. However, over the last decade, performance across routine immunisation programmes has been in decline and continued variation in uptake and coverage between different communities reflects wider health inequalities.
In response to these challenges, the NHS vaccination strategy builds on lessons learnt from the pandemic and the success of our routine immunisation programmes. It aims to maximise uptake and coverage of vaccinations across all communities, improving uptake to save more lives.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to license the drug Lecanemab for the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will review any marketing authorisation application received, and will consider the drug with regard to quality, safety and efficacy. We do not comment on application status or applications in progress, until a full and timely decision is made with consideration of the recommendation of Commission on Human Medicines as needed. We continue to advise that patients consult with their respective healthcare professionals regarding treatment and management options for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s severity modifier on the prescribing of cancer medicines.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022, and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent.
This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end-of-life modifier. NICE has been monitoring the impact of the changes that it introduced and analysis carried out by NICE for the first year of the updated manual’s implementation shows that NICE’s committee accepted 11 out of 13 cases where the company applied for a severity modifier, with eight of these being for cancer medicines.