Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many schools have mental health teams.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Our Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health aims to improve the provision of services in England. One of the key proposals of the Green Paper is to create new Mental Health Support Teams in and near groups of schools and colleges in their areas.
In December 2018, we announced 25 Trailblazer sites to run the first wave of 59 Mental Health Support Teams.
Initial estimates suggested that each of these teams should be working with 15-20 education settings, though this will vary depending on the number of pupils in each setting. We are collecting data as Mental Health Support Teams are established and will confirm the number of education settings they are working with once that process is complete.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made in improving access to specialist mental health support for children.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have introduced two waiting times: for 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases, and for 50% of patients of all ages experiencing a first episode of psychosis to receive treatment within two weeks of referral. We are on target to meet these aims.
Our Children and Young People’s Green Paper sets out how we plan are piloting a four-week waiting time to improve access to services and are introducing new Mental Health Support Teams. In December 2018, we announced Trailblazer sites to test our Green Paper proposals. Twelve of these sites will trial four-week waiting times.
We have also committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. The NHS Long Term Plan and Mental Health Support Teams will see at least an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25 will be able to access support by 2023/24.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to encourage the use of technology in the pharmacy sector.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
In ‘The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care’, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care outlined his ambition that the best technology available is used across the National Health Service, including in community pharmacy. The use of technology can improve the safety and efficiency of our services, and patients experience of them. Therefore, among other things, the NHS is working with the pharmacy community to encourage the use of technology by:
- Providing the Summary Care Record, which over 95% of community pharmacies are using, supporting the clinical care they provide. NHS Digital is now integrating the Summary Care Record into clinical pharmacy systems to make it quicker and easier for pharmacy teams to access;
- Optimising the Electronic Prescription Service, which is now used in more than 92% of general practitioner (GP) practices and all community pharmacies. This means electronic prescriptions can be sent safely and securely to pharmacies directly from GP surgeries. We are currently rolling out electronic prescriptions for patients who have not nominated a regular pharmacy, which will be available in all community pharmacies;
- Piloting a digital system in several community pharmacies which automatically checks whether patients are eligible for free prescriptions, simplifying the process for patients and ensuring that people who are exempt from NHS prescription charges are not charged. Following a positive evaluation, we are now planning national roll out; and
- Working with the Professional Records Standards Body to publish new standards for data transfer between pharmacy systems and the GP patient record and will underpin the growing connectivity of community pharmacy service delivery with the rest of the NHS, for example allowing calls to NHS 111 to be redirected to a community pharmacy wherever appropriate.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the value for money of public funding for the pharmacy sector.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is currently working with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework settlement for 2019/20 and beyond. These are confidential negotiations and as such we are unable to provide any detail on these discussions at this time. The Government is, however, committed to working with the PSNC to deliver a fair settlement for the NHS services community pharmacies provide, and one which will enable us to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to introduce a long-term Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework that operates beyond 2019-2020.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is currently working with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework settlement for 2019/20 and beyond. These are confidential negotiations and as such we are unable to provide any detail on these discussions at this time. The Government is, however, committed to working with the PSNC to deliver a fair settlement for the NHS services community pharmacies provide, and one which will enable us to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the pharmacy sector to support the delivery of the NHS Long-Term Plan.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is currently working with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) to determine the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework settlement for 2019/20 and beyond. These are confidential negotiations and as such we are unable to provide any detail on these discussions at this time. The Government is, however, committed to working with the PSNC to deliver a fair settlement for the NHS services community pharmacies provide, and one which will enable us to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to promote greater consumer awareness on the importance of portion control in food and beverages.
Answered by Steve Brine
In 2018 Public Health England launched a campaign to encourage adults to make healthier choices and manage their calorie consumption when eating on the go and out of the home. The One You ‘400-600-600’ campaign aimed to help adults manage their calorie intake by following simple guidance when eating meals out of the home: aim for around 400 calories for breakfast, 600 calories for lunch and 600 calories for dinner.
As part of Change4Life’s aim to help families eat well, the campaign reminds parents to think about ‘Me-sized meals’ when it comes to portion sizes for children, as children do not have the same energy requirements from their food as adults.
In 2018, Change4Life’s healthier snacking campaign helped families to cut down on the type and amount of snacks they give to their children by following a simple tip to look for 100 calories snacks, two a day maximum.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum portion size for soft drinks.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Eatwell Guide defines the United Kingdom Government’s recommendations on healthy eating. The Guide shows the proportions of the food groups that people should be eating to meet official advice and nutrient requirements; this includes at least five 80 grams portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and at least two 140 grams portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily. There are also recommendations on the maximum consumption of red and processed meat; people who regularly eat more than 90 grams of red or processed meat per day are advised to cut down to no more than an average of 70 grams per day.
The Eatwell Guide also displays drinks recommendations of six to eight glasses of fluids per day ideally from water, lower fat milks, and unsweetened tea or coffee. In addition, the Government recommends a maximum of 150 millilitres of fruit juice and smoothies per day.
The Eatwell Guide is available to view at the following link:
The Government has challenged all sectors of the food and drinks industry to reduce the sugar content of those foods that contribute significantly to children’s intakes, as part of the Childhood Obesity Plan. Public Health England has set maximum calorie guidelines for products likely to be consumed in a single occasion in the sugar reduction programme. This includes maximum calorie guidelines for juice and milk-based drinks that are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Further information on the sugar reduction programme can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-juice-and-milk-based-drinks
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to encourage portion control in food and soft drinks.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Eatwell Guide defines the United Kingdom Government’s recommendations on healthy eating. The Guide shows the proportions of the food groups that people should be eating to meet official advice and nutrient requirements; this includes at least five 80 grams portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and at least two 140 grams portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily. There are also recommendations on the maximum consumption of red and processed meat; people who regularly eat more than 90 grams of red or processed meat per day are advised to cut down to no more than an average of 70 grams per day.
The Eatwell Guide also displays drinks recommendations of six to eight glasses of fluids per day ideally from water, lower fat milks, and unsweetened tea or coffee. In addition, the Government recommends a maximum of 150 millilitres of fruit juice and smoothies per day.
The Eatwell Guide is available to view at the following link:
The Government has challenged all sectors of the food and drinks industry to reduce the sugar content of those foods that contribute significantly to children’s intakes, as part of the Childhood Obesity Plan. Public Health England has set maximum calorie guidelines for products likely to be consumed in a single occasion in the sugar reduction programme. This includes maximum calorie guidelines for juice and milk-based drinks that are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Further information on the sugar reduction programme can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-juice-and-milk-based-drinks
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long it takes on average to deliver an accredited drug treatment programme in prison in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Information on accredited drug programmes is not collected by the Department. These programmes are designed and delivered by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.
In England, substance misuse treatment is commissioned by NHS England in line with the United Kingdom Guidelines on Clinical Management and the NHS England ‘Substance Misuse in Prisons’ service specification set out at the following link:
Substance misuse interventions begin at the point of first reception screening in prisons and continue for as long as required – often out into the community post-release.