Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many international medical students who completed their degree in the UK left the UK once qualified in the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
Office for Students publishes statistics on number of entrants into medical courses. Latest figures show there were 875 entrants to medical schools in the United Kingdom that were ineligible to pay home fees, this is around 9% of the total number of entrants (9,820).
The Department does not hold information on breakdown of nationalities or where international medical students go after training.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the breakdown of nationalities of International medical students studying in the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
Office for Students publishes statistics on number of entrants into medical courses. Latest figures show there were 875 entrants to medical schools in the United Kingdom that were ineligible to pay home fees, this is around 9% of the total number of entrants (9,820).
The Department does not hold information on breakdown of nationalities or where international medical students go after training.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many international medical students are studying at UK universities.
Answered by Will Quince
Office for Students publishes statistics on number of entrants into medical courses. Latest figures show there were 875 entrants to medical schools in the United Kingdom that were ineligible to pay home fees, this is around 9% of the total number of entrants (9,820).
The Department does not hold information on breakdown of nationalities or where international medical students go after training.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 reduce overprescribing.
Answered by Will Quince
In September 2021, the Government published its review of overprescribing ‘Good for you, good for us, good for everybody’, ‘National overprescribing review report’. The review report evaluated the extent, causes and consequences of overprescribing and made recommendations to address it. A copy of the report can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-overprescribing-review-report
Led by the National Clinical Director for Prescribing, NHS England and partner organisations are working to implement long term, sustainable reductions to overprescribing. This work includes: t
The development of national resources to help practices improve the consistency of repeat prescribing processes, supported by training;
the publication of NHS England’s prescribed medicines review report, ‘Prescribed medicines review: summary’ which includes information to help systems support patients who take medicines associated with dependence and withdrawalwithdrawal; and
interventions to reduce polypharmacy. A copy of the report can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to fund the use of the medication Avastin on the NHS for the treatment of bowel cancer when alternate medications are not suitable due to gene mutations.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE’s guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders. NICE was unable to recommend bevacizumab (Avastin) as an effective use of NHS resources for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, and it is not routinely funded on the NHS in England.
NICE has been asked to consider updating its appraisals of bevacizumab for colorectal cancer given that there are now multiple biosimilars available, some at significantly lower cost than the price at which bevacizumab was originally assessed. However, NICE must also take into consideration wider considerations regarding the use of bevacizumab in different scenarios that have evolved since the original appraisals. NICE is exploring options and further information on any proposed changes will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of fossil fuel on human health.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK 2012 report details the health impacts from climate change, which is fossil fuel-driven, but it does not separate out the specific impacts from fossil fuels. Under the second National Adaptation Plan, an updated version of this report is due to be published in 2023. UK Health Security Agency is currently not undertaking any research on the specific health impacts from fossil fuels in the context of climate change.
Air pollution has a significant effect on public health, long-term exposure to air pollution reduces life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Evidence of associations with a wide range of health effects continues to build. Adverse health effects are associated with proximity to traffic, traffic intensity or concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants. Residential burning of solid fuels which includes coal can emit very high levels of air pollutants inside and outside of the home.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 support general practitioners to (a) provide the best care possible, (b) manage their workload and (c) cope with increasing budgetary pressures.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We will launch a recovery plan for general practice (GPs) in the coming weeks. This will focus on supporting GPs through providing them with the technology and tools that will help them deal with ever-increasing demand. Since September 2022 Our Plan for Patients has helped practices to recruit more support staff so GPs can spend their time doing the tasks only a GP can do and put in place state-of-the art telephone systems to make it easier to manage demand, triage callers, and ensure patients are seen at the right time by the right clinician for their needs.
In 2019 we agreed a five year GP contract framework with the British Medical Association (BMA) which was underpinned by a record level of additional investment. This was underpinned by an additional £4.5 billion for primary and community care by 2023/24 as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. We invested a further £1.5 billion announced in 2020 to create an additional 50 million GP appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce. We also made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. As agreed with the general practitioners committee of the BMA in 2019 as part of the five-year GP contract, the investment envelope is fixed, and no further funding will be provided. The five year framework ends in March 2024. Future funding arrangements for GP will be considered in due course.
As part of the 2020/21 GP contract to help maximise the time available for clinical tasks, the Government committed to a thorough review of levels of bureaucracy in GPs. As part of this work, in August 2022, a cross-Government concordat was published setting out seven principles to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in general practice. The Department is continuing to work across Government and with the National Health Service to implement the solutions that emerge.
We recognise that high workloads can act as a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme will add extra clinical capacity
Public sector businesses are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, and so have the unit price of energy capped. HM Treasury have announced that from April 2023, a new scheme, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme to support businesses. The new scheme strikes a balance between supporting businesses over the next 12 months and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.
We have accepted the independent pay review body’s (the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration) recommendation. The minimum and maximum pay thresholds for salaried GPs are being uplifted by 4.5%. The multi-year GP Contract provides funding clarity and certainty to practices until 2023/24. The agreed investment envelope is fixed and the core settlement covers all aspects of practice income and expenses, including salaried GP pay. As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for GP practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees and themselves within the agreed GP contract funding envelope.
GP contractors are entitled to financial assistance or reimbursement of premises costs, including notional or actual rent, business rates, water rates, and clinical waste disposal. The commissioner has discretion to provide further financial assistance if other costs rise exponentially, such as service charges, all budget dependent.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 support children and young people with their mental health.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are expanding and transforming mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. Part of this increased investment will enable an additional 345,000 children and young people to get the National Health Service funded mental health support they need.
In recognition of the increased demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we invested an extra £79 million in 2021/22 to expand children’s mental health services, including enabling around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services, 2,000 more to access eating disorder services and accelerating the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges.
There are currently 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issue. Mental health support teams now cover 26 per cent. of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned, and this will increase to 399 teams, covering around 35 per cent. of pupils, by April 2023 with over 500 planned to be up and running by 2024.
In September 2020, we launched a campaign through the Every Mind Matters website to raise awareness of the guidance and tools available to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing. Also supporting parents with the Start for Life programme that aims to improve the health of babies and children under five in England by encouraging a healthy lifestyle, helping parents-to-be and mums and dads to give their children the best possible start. We know that the 1,001 days from conception to age two years old are critical days for a baby that sets the foundations for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 improve mental health provision for (a) all and (b) secondary school aged children and young people.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people, including 345,000 children and young people, can get the National Health Service funded mental health support that they need.
We also provided an additional £500 million to further expand mental health services in the 2021/22 financial year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This included £79 million, which allowed around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services, 2,000 more to access eating disorder services and accelerated the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges.
There are currently 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 primary and secondary schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Over 500 mental health support teams are planned to be up and running by 2024.
We also launched a campaign through the NHS Every Mind Matters website to raise awareness of the guidance and tools available to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing.
Through the new mandatory health education curriculum, pupils are taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, where and how to seek support and whom they should speak to in school if they’re worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for how long on average members of the public have to wait to register for an NHS dentist in (a) England and Wales, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) Leeds.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
This information is not collected as patients are only registered with a dental practice for the course of their treatment.
National Health Service dentists are required to update their NHS.UK profiles regularly to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.
In circumstances where a person is unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice, or where parents are unable to access an urgent dental appointment for their child, they are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance.