Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of (1) paediatric cystic fibrosis centres, and (2) adult cystic fibrosis centres, in England employed (a) a social worker, and (b) a clinical psychologist, as part of their multi-disciplinary team, for each year since 2015.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 17 March (HL7072), what the (1) mean, (2) median, and (3) maximum, waiting times were for patients who had been coded as having received a specialised service in (a) February 2020, and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available; and how many had waited longer than 18 weeks before receiving their treatment in each period.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The information requested on mean and maximum waiting times is not held. In February 2020, the estimated median waiting time for admitted treatment was 14.6 weeks, with 10,272 patients having waited more than 18 weeks for treatment. The estimated median waiting time for non-admitted treatment was 9.4 weeks, with 18,018 patients having waited more than 18 weeks for treatment.
In January 2022, the estimated median waiting time for admitted treatment was 13.7 weeks, with 7,705 patients having waited more than 18 weeks for treatment. The estimated median waiting time for non-admitted treatment was 10.7 weeks, with 21,868 patients having waited more than 18 weeks for treatment.
This data includes those patients referred to services directly commissioned by NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients were waiting for elective treatment for which NHS England’s specialised services function was responsible in (1) February 2020, and (2) the latest month for which figures are available; how many of these patients had already waited over 18 weeks; and what was the (a) mean, and (n) median, waiting time for those patients in each time period.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The data is not available in the format requested. Patients are coded as receiving a specialised service after their treatment has taken place, therefore the number of patients waiting for specialised services is not available.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 1 May 2019 (HL Deb, col 1020) that they intend to "ensure that the review takes into account the benefits offered by new treatments for severe life-threatening and rare diseases", what plans they have to provide assurances that NICE will not end the use of rarity as a decision modifier in its highly specialised technology appraisal process.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It is too soon to comment on the potential outcomes of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) methods review and any changes to that may be proposed, but issues around the use of modifiers are being explored.
NICE expects to consult on the case for change later this year, and there will be a second consultation in 2021 on the updated methods manual.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 12 May (HL4366), which aspects of the forthcoming EU Clinical Trial Regulation (Regulation (EU) (No 536/2014) they currently consider to be in the best interests of (1) UK patients, (2) industry, (3) non-commercial researchers, and (4) hospitals.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Medicines and Medical Devices Bill 2020 will provide the mechanism to allow the United Kingdom to decide any aspects of the forthcoming European Union Clinical Trial Regulation (EU CTR) it would want to implement through national legislation.
The CTR is largely based on internationally recognised requirements to conduct a clinical trial and national UK legislation already implements many aspects of these international requirements.
Future changes made to the UK legislation will be done on the basis of what is in the best interests of the UK with the focus on remaining a leading global player, promoting patient safety; attracting more research to the UK; and enabling the UK to keep up with emerging technologies and maintain an internationally competitive clinical trials infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that (1) doctors, (2) nurses, and (3) other healthcare workers, who have registered respectively with the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health and Care Professions Council to return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic are able to remain in service in the NHS once the immediate state of emergency subsides.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Temporary emergency registration powers are available to the registrars of the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health and Care Professions Council for the duration of an emergency, as declared by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
The Department is working with the healthcare professional regulators, the devolved administrations, NHS England and NHS Improvement and employing organisations to ensure that the closure of the temporary emergency registers takes place in a planned and co-ordinated way.
The temporary registers will be closed at the end of the COVID-19 emergency period (as declared by the Secretary of State) and all those who have joined the temporary registers will have their registration revoked. However, we are keen that anyone who has returned to practice and who wishes to remain working beyond the emergency period is encouraged and supported to join the full register. To do so they will need to demonstrate that they meet the required standards and pay the relevant registration fees.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure UK–EU clinical trials can continue after the end of the transition period, and once the EU?Clinical Trial Regulation?(Regulation (EU) No 536/2014) comes into effect.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government is committed to a world-leading regulatory system for clinical trials that allows us to collaborate effectively globally, ensuring the United Kingdom remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. At the end of the transition period, clinical trials will continue to be approved at a national level, working to international standards as they are now. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), along with partners across the UK healthcare ecosystem, has taken steps to ensure that all trials including multinational trials can continue seamlessly.
The MHRA, Health Research Authority, ethics services, National Institute for Health Research, National Health Service and devolved administrations have been preparing to implement the forthcoming European Union Clinical Trials Regulation since it was agreed in 2014. The UK will implement those aspects of the regulation which are in the best interests of UK patients, industry, non-commercial researchers and hospitals when it comes into force and this is currently expected during 2022.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of COVID-19 on the work programme of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in particular (1) the development and publication of technology appraisal guidance, and (2) the review of its methods and processes.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has adapted its priorities to support the National Health Service, local authorities and the wider health and social care sector to tackle COVID-19.
NICE’s immediate priorities include frontline staff being released from committee meetings and panels to minimise the disruption to critical care for those affected by COVID-19 and minimising the publication of outputs that might be a distraction during this critical time. NICE will only publish guidance, including technology appraisal guidance that is therapeutically critical or focused on COVID-19-related issues, and will continue with, but not publish other work, as staffing and other resources allow, including the review of its methods and processes. Information about the NICE methods review will be available shortly.
These priorities will be reviewed in six to eight weeks.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has adequate levels of patient and patient group participation in its review of its methods and processes.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has had a specific workstream focussing on patient involvement aspects of both its methods and processes. NICE held a workshop with 22 patient groups, used the findings to develop an in-depth questionnaire and received responses from 52 patient groups. The findings and proposals of this are informing the other workstreams.
Further key aspects include having three patient group representatives on the Methods Review Working Group; having patient representatives on task and finish groups undertaking the detailed methods work; convening a Stakeholder Insight Group to inform process developments, which has numerous patient group representatives; and outreach talks at various key patient group meetings.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will issue a consultation on changes to the routing criteria for the appraisal of medicines through its highly specialised technologies programme.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is continuing to work through the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on its work programmes. NICE anticipates that further information on the timing of the consultation on changes to the routing criteria for the appraisal of medicines through its highly specialised technologies programme should be available within the next few weeks.