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Written Question
Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support people with postural tachycardia syndrome.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Services for postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) are locally commissioned and, as such, it is the responsibility of the local commissioning teams within integrated care boards to ensure that their locally commissioned services meet the needs of their local population.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a clinical knowledge summary, last revised in November 2023, which outlines the method healthcare professionals should follow for diagnosing PoTS. This summary is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/

Clinical knowledge summaries are evidence-based summaries designed to support healthcare professionals in primary care, by providing them with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical advice on best practice.


Written Question
Infant Mortality: Certification
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when baby loss certificates will become available for people who lost their child before September 2018.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

On 22 February 2024, we launched the Baby Loss Certificate service, fulfilling our commitment in the Women’s Health Strategy. The certificate is an important acknowledgement of a life lost, and we hope it will provide some comfort and support by validating the loss.

We recognise that some people will wish to obtain a certificate for a baby loss that has happened in the past. It is currently open to pregnancy losses since 1 September 2018, and we will extend this to earlier losses as soon as we can.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Parents
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure bereaved parents have access to NHS community-based psychological support.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing investment and increasing the mental health workforce to expand and transform mental health services in the National Health Service in England. Almost £16 billion was invested in mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services, a 10% increase on the previous year.

It is important that grieving parents who have lost a child have access to the mental health support they need, when they need it. Anyone struggling with a bereavement is strongly encouraged to contact their general practitioner who can help provide support, signpost to specialist bereavement support charities or make a referral to a counsellor.  Bereaved parents can also refer themselves directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a referral from a general practitioner.

Last year, we updated GOV.UK’s Tell us Once service to better signpost people to sources of bereavement support.


Written Question
Health Services: Homelessness
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the availability of step down support in London for homeless people being discharged from hospital care.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local systems are expected to undertake capacity and demand planning exercises for all intermediate care services, including step-down support.

We are working to ensure that people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness have a place to stay, and the right care and support to recover their health and wellbeing after leaving hospital. In January 2024 the Department published guidance on discharging people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, to support staff involved in planning safe and supportive discharge of these patients from hospital. Furthermore, between 2020 and 2022, the Department delivered £16 million to 17 local sites, including in London, to pilot Out of Hospital Care Models to people experiencing homelessness following a hospital stay. The Department’s guidance on discharging people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness/discharging-people-at-risk-of-or-experiencing-homelessness


Written Question
Infant Mortality: Bereavement Counselling
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of bereavement support provided to fathers following a baby loss.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government recognises that partners can also be impacted when their loved ones are suffering from the consequences of the loss of a baby. We previously funded the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity to produce and support the roll-out of a National Bereavement Care Pathway, to reduce the variation in the quality of bereavement care provided by the National Health Service, for parents and their families. On 22 February 2024, we launched Baby Loss Certificates, so either parent can obtain a certificate to recognise the loss of a baby before 24 weeks.


Written Question
Infant Mortality and Miscarriage: Bereavement Counselling
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has plans to increase support for bereaved parents who experience a (a) miscarriage or (b) baby loss.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government funded the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity in order to produce and support the roll-out of a National Bereavement Care Pathway, to reduce the variation in the quality of bereavement care provided by the National Health Service. As of 30 January 2024, 126 NHS England trusts, or 98%, have signed up to the pathway.

The Government is also continuing to implement recommendations from the Pregnancy Loss Review published in July 2023. These focus on improving the care and support that women and families receive when experiencing a pre-24-week gestation baby loss.

On 22 February 2024, we launched Baby Loss Certificates so that parents can obtain a certificate to recognise the loss of a baby before 24 weeks. As of 4 March 2024, over 37,000 certificates have been issued. This delivers on priorities set out in the Women’s Health Strategy for England, and on recommendations from the Pregnancy Loss Review.


Written Question
Physiotherapy
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of NHS physiotherapy appointments.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no current plans to make an assessment.

NHS England published its intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge in September 2023, to help ensure high quality care after hospital discharge. This framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/intermediate-care-framework-for-rehabilitation-reablement-and-recovery-following-hospital-discharge/


Written Question
Physiotherapy: Hornsey and Wood Green
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of rehabilitation physiotherapy appointments for patients in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has no current plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of rehabilitation physiotherapy appointments for patients in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.


Written Question
Prisoners: Epilepsy
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in prison have epilepsy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

NHS England collects internal management data on this however the statistics are not considered robust enough to be published.


Written Question
Sunscreens: VAT
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential impact of removing VAT from factor 30+ sunscreen on the level of incidence of skin cancer.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst the Department has not made a specific assessment, under the current VAT rules, sun protection products are subject to the standard rate of VAT. High-factor sunscreen is on the National Health Service prescription list for certain conditions and therefore is provided free of VAT when dispensed by a pharmacist. While HM Treasury keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to make changes. Representations on changes to the VAT system will be considered through the normal fiscal event process.