Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of local authority health scrutiny committees and (b) ability of those committees to identify decisions and practices in the local health sector which have subsequently been changed.
Answered by Steve Brine
Local government plays a vital role in planning local health services and in scrutinising the local National Health Service’s plans for the delivery and the improvement of those services. Members are accountable to their electorate for their actions, and guidance and support is available to help them. The Independent Reconfiguration Panel is also available to help scrutiny committee’s oversight of the NHS.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that food products which are contaminated with listeria are more easily identified and prevented from being put on sale to the public.
Answered by Steve Brine
A range of measures operate to minimise the risk of consumers eating food products contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Legislation provides measures to be taken by food manufactures producing specific food products. This includes product safety testing. Local authorities also undertake sampling to detect non-compliant products. Risk assessment and risk management capabilities, including removal of contaminated food products from the market, also operate.
The Food Standards Agency also issues advice to those most at risk from Listeriosis on foods that due to their inherent risk and the probability of contamination with Listeria should be avoided.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits to public health of increasing the funding of the NHS above four per cent per annum in real terms.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service. As part of the new long-term plan for the NHS, the Government has announced plans for a five-year budget settlement. By 2023/24, the NHS will receive increased funding of £20.5 billion in real terms per year compared to today – an average increase of 3.4% per year overall.
In relation to public health, the Government recognises the role these services play in managing demand for health services and improving people’s wellbeing, including through action taken by local authorities. Decisions on investment in public health functions from this settlement are subject to the development of the long-term NHS plan, which will be brought forward through close working between the NHS and Government, in consultation with patients and the public.
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential benefits to the health of the public of increasing the funding of the NHS above 4% per year in real terms.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices for people with Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has not commissioned any research on the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices for people with Type 1 diabetes.
The Department’s NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diabetes; 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.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of surgically implanted glucose sensors as a method for controlling Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Steve Brine
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not undertaken an evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of surgically implanted glucose sensors.
Treatments may be brought into routine use in the National Health Service after their efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness have been appropriately demonstrated. NICE is responsible for assessing new technologies and interventional procedures, as well as producing guidelines for best practice of treatment and care.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Clinical Commissioning Groups to recommend the prescription of surgically implanted glucose sensors for the management of Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Steve Brine
Surgically implanted glucose sensors are not currently available for prescribing in primary care. To be available for prescribing, a medical device must be listed in Part IX of the England and Wales Drug Tariff.
Any device made available for prescribing to patients through listing in Part IX is required to meet set criteria, namely that the product is safe and of good quality, it is appropriate for general practice and, if relevant, non-medical prescribing, and it is cost effective.
The NHS Business Services Authority carries out the assessment of Part IX applications by manufacturers on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, for prescribing at National Health Service expense by an appropriate practitioner. However, the listing of a medical device in the Drug Tariff should not be interpreted as a recommendation to prescribe a particular product.
Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the cost of treatment for (a) comas and (b) other severe episodes of Type 1 diabetes and the cost of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices.
Answered by Steve Brine
There is no comparative assessment on the cost of treatment for either comas or other severe episodes of Type 1 diabetes, or on the cost of surgically implanted glucose monitoring devices.
Treatments may be brought into routine use in the National Health Service after their cost-effectiveness has been appropriately demonstrated. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for assessing new technologies and interventional procedures.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department has given to the Department for Education on the development of policies in schools to support pupils with Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department and its arm’s length bodies maintain a continuous dialogue with colleagues across government on a range of issues, including how best to meet the health needs of schoolchildren.
It is important that children with medical conditions such as diabetes are supported appropriately. Governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England work within the guidance agreed between Department of Health and Department for Education for schools in 2014 (and reviewed since) on their responsibilities for supporting children and young people in school who have a health condition, including managing their access to medicines, and other adjustments necessary to maintain their health and wellbeing while at school. This includes supporting children with diabetes.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, assessment he has made of trends in the level of children with Type 1 diabetes who experience a serious medial episode in a school environment in each of the last five years.
Answered by Steve Brine
No assessment has taken place, and no data regarding the number of children with Type 1 diabetes experiencing a serious medical episode in a school environment is centrally held.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to access the potential merit of using deprivation factors in the formula for funding GP surgeries.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department recognises the importance of deprivation factors. NHS England is working with the British Medical Association to review the Carr-Hill funding formula and ensure that distribution of funding takes into account, as far as possible, key factors that increase demand for primary medical care services.
Evidence shows that people in deprived communities are likely to have an increased need for primary medical care and this is reflected in the existing formula. This important consideration will continue to be a key factor in any future changes.