Became Member: 24th July 1989
Left House: 21st April 2016 (Death)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Walton of Detchant, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Walton of Detchant has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Walton of Detchant has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
We are continuing to consider carefully all the consultation responses. It is important we get these changes right for patients, the National Health Service and industry. We want to look in particular at the impact on small and medium sized businesses, while securing the medicines patients need at a cost which the NHS can afford.
The provision of services, including dermatology services, is a matter for the local National Health Service.
The NHS Trust Development Authority advises that since 2 February 2015 Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust has not been able to provide a comprehensive adult dermatology service. It no longer has sufficient consultant dermatologist capacity to sustain such a service.
The Trust has worked with commissioners to ensure a satisfactory service is available to local people from alternative providers.
Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group has commissioned a review to assess what is needed to meet the needs of the population in the future.
This Government established Health Education England to co-ordinate education and training activity across the National Health Service, including the management of training programmes for junior doctors. Health Education England and the Local Education and Training Board in the East Midlands are best placed to work with local employers in Nottingham to understand and manage the impact of changes.
NHS England recognises that, as this report from the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) shows, there is room for improvement in the way neurology services are delivered in acute settings. It has been working with the ABN, the Neurological Alliance, the National Clinical Director for Neurological Conditions and representatives from the Strategic Clinical Networks to develop a framework for improving neurology standards within acute settings.
The aim of this framework, which is in the process of being developed, is to help patients and their carers understand what standard of care they should expect, and to support clinicians, National Health Service staff, commissioners and others in the NHS and elsewhere that are responsible for the care of people with neurological conditions to understand how Acute services can be better delivered.
Neurological care in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is matter for the devolved administrations of those countries.
The Government has not withdrawn any approvals for Translarna (ataluren).
We understand that a draft clinical commissioning policy to cover the use of Translarna for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy is currently going through NHS England's standard development and decision making processes.
NHS England remains committed to ensuring that a timely decision is made about this treatment as one of a range of investment proposals that has been put forward for the 2015-16 financial year.
NHS England continues to keep the range of services and treatments available to patients under review as new evidence and expert guidance becomes available.
The Government will update Parliament as soon as possible with regard to these regulations.
It is for clinicians to make prescribing decisions based on their patients’ individual clinical needs.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a number of drugs, designated by the European Union as orphan drugs, in technology appraisal guidance. NICE is also responsible for the evaluation of selected high cost, low volume drugs under its Highly Specialised Technologies Programme.
National Health Service commissioners are legally obliged to provide funding for drugs that have been recommended in NICE technology appraisals or highly specialised technologies evaluations.
We are commissioning an external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.
The Government has emphasised the importance of developing a well-trained National Health Service work force to benefit from the advances in genomic medicine. The education and training requirements of genetic counsellors and their regulatory arrangements are currently being considered as part of the Health Education England’s Genomics Programme. NHS England is focused on ensuring it fulfils its contribution to meeting the objectives of the 100,000 Genomes Project and the elements for which it is accountable. This includes establishing NHS Genomic Medicine Centres through a robust procurement process, as part of which all potential NHS Genomic Medicine Centres will be required to demonstrate what arrangements they will put in place to ensure validated findings are fed back to patients in an appropriate and timely manner.
In April 2013 NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for people with Parkinson's disease.
Individual funding requests relating to treatments that NHS England is responsible for commissioning are handled in line with NHS England's individual funding requests standard operating procedure, which is at:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-04.pdf
We understand that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group considered evidence on the clinical effectiveness and estimated costs of Duodopa. NHS England plans to publish a commissioning policy statement for Duodopa in due course.
Decisions on the prescribing of medicines are a matter for clinicians in discussion with their patients.
Dabigatran (Pradaxa), apixaban (Eliquis) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto) are recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance for use in reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE)after hip or knee replacement surgery. Rivaroxaban is also recommended as a treatment option for adults with deep vein thrombosis and in the prevention of recurrent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. National Health Service commissioners are legally required by regulations to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.
NHS England has advised that it is working with the Health & Social Care Information Centre as part of the National VTE Prevention Programme to analyse the uptake of medicines in this area.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre's report on the Use of NICE appraised medicines in the NHS in England 2012, published on 21 January 2014, includes information on the usage of dabigatran etexilate, apixaban and rivaroxaban for prevention of venous thromboembolism after hip or knee replacement surgery in secondary care.
The report showed an increase in mean usage over time during 2010-2012 and an increase in the total use of the drugs over time, which had accelerated in 2012. The report is available at:
www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13413/use-nice-app-med-nhs-exp-stat-eng-12-rep.pdf
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a number of treatments for the prevention of venous thromboembolism. National Health Service commissioners are legally required by regulations to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.
We understand that NHS England has established an Innovation Programme which ensures the commissioning system promotes and supports participation of the NHS in research, translating scientific developments into benefits for patients.
A consultation on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) proposals for value assessment is ongoing and no decisions have yet been made about any potential changes to NICE's methods of technology appraisal.
The consultation will close on 20 June and we would encourage all those with an interest, including patients, clinicians, the National Health Service, industry, researchers and academic experts, to make their views known as part of this process.
A consultation on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) proposals for value assessment is ongoing and no decisions have yet been made about any potential changes to NICE's methods of technology appraisal.
The consultation will close on 20 June and we would encourage all those with an interest, including patients, clinicians, the National Health Service, industry, researchers and academic experts, to make their views known as part of this process.