Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the resumption of (a) nursing and (b) care home visits in England; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits on enabling immediate covid-secure visits for residents who have a (i) terminal illness and (b) mental and physical health condition that is affected by a lack of contact with relatives.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 22 July 2020 the Government published updated guidance on visiting arrangements for care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance is applicable to all nursing and care homes and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus
Updated visiting guidance was developed with collaboration from a range of social care stakeholders, including the Alzheimer’s Society. Our priority has been to enable residents to be reunited safely with their loved ones. This guidance will be updated as the risk posed by COVID-19 continues to change.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disease (PANDAS); and if his will make it his policy for officials in his Department to attend the the first PANDAS UK conference at Imperial College London on 22 September 2018.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disease Associated with Streptococcal Infections is a term used to describe a subset of children and adolescents who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders, and in whom symptoms worsen following streptococcal (strep) infections. Treatment for these symptoms, including psychological therapies, is available from the National Health Service.
The Department does not require its staff to attend specific external events, but practitioners from the NHS will be taking part at the PANDAS UK conference on 22 September.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of premature babies in England in the last 12 months; and how many of those babies had one or both parents take a course in neonatal resuscitation on discharge.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on premature births in its Birth Characteristics publication. The latest data available is for 2016 which shows that there were 54,143 pre-term births (live births before 37 weeks gestation) in England and Wales. The ONS do not publish this information for England only.
Data on the number of parents that receive neonatal resuscitation training is not collected centrally. However, all neonatal units provide resuscitation training for the parents of babies considered at higher risk of potentially needing resuscitation in the community, which would include babies born prematurely. The training is provided by members of staff from within the neonatal unit and is organised and delivered at a local level.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons ibrutinib is not prescribed on the NHS as a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Answered by Steve Brine
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance in January 2017 that recommends ibrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with 17p deletion or TP53 mutation. Ibrutinib is routinely available to National Health Service patients for these indications in line with NICE’s recommendations if a patient’s doctor considers it to be the most appropriate treatment option.
NICE has not been able to make a recommendation on the use of ibrutinib for use in the treatment of other patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia because no evidence submission was received from the product’s manufacturer. Ibrutinib is not therefore routinely commissioned for NHS patients for these other indications. NICE will review this decision if the company decides to make an evidence submission.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the cost to the public of a Prescription Prepayment Certificate has remained at the same level while costs of individual prescriptions have risen.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government is committed to making prescriptions affordable to everyone, including to people who may need a large number of prescriptions. Whilst the standard prescription charge has been uplifted year on year to remain broadly in line with inflation and raise valuable revenue for the National Health Service, the Government took the decision to freeze the cost of the three-month and 12-month prescription prepayment certificates to support those with the greatest need.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to measure and improve patient experience and compassionate care.
Answered by Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer
One year on from the Government’s formal response to the Francis Report on the failings of care at Mid Staffs, this Government has taken significant strides to improve and measure patient experience and compassionate care.
We have introduced a series of measures to increase the safety, transparency and accountability of the National Health Service – including a rigorous and independent new inspection regime for hospitals and a robust special measures regime to turn around any failing trusts.
4.3 million people have completed the Friends & Family Test, with feedback used locally to improve care.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to King's College London to assist the development of the MAP vaccine for Crohn's disease from animal testing to human trials.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not currently funding any Crohn’s vaccine development work at King’s College London.
The Government has funding mechanisms in place for research and development relating to innovative medicines.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease and vaccines. These 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.
The NIHR manages the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, which bridges the gap between preclinical studies and evidence of clinical efficacy. The aim is to secure the progress of new technologies and interventions through their early clinical trials and onto larger, later clinical trials. The programme is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NIHR.
Other sources of funding include the Biomedical Catalyst, which is a funding programme jointly operated by the MRC and Innovate UK. The programme provides responsive and effective support for the best translational life science opportunities arising. Grants are available to United Kingdom academics and small and medium enterprises seeking to move their research more quickly from discovery to commercialisation.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is giving to King's College London to work on developing the MAP vaccine for Crohn's disease from animal testing to human trials.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not currently funding any Crohn’s vaccine development work at King’s College London.
The Government has funding mechanisms in place for research and development relating to innovative medicines.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease and vaccines. These 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.
The NIHR manages the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, which bridges the gap between preclinical studies and evidence of clinical efficacy. The aim is to secure the progress of new technologies and interventions through their early clinical trials and onto larger, later clinical trials. The programme is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NIHR.
Other sources of funding include the Biomedical Catalyst, which is a funding programme jointly operated by the MRC and Innovate UK. The programme provides responsive and effective support for the best translational life science opportunities arising. Grants are available to United Kingdom academics and small and medium enterprises seeking to move their research more quickly from discovery to commercialisation.