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Written Question
Skin Diseases: Mental Health Services
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Westminster Hall debate on Skin Conditions and Mental Health on 25 January 2022, Official Report, cols 322-338 WH, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services for people with skin conditions.

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

We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by 2023-24 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people, including those with skin conditions, will be able to access the mental health support they need.

In addition, we provided an additional £500 million for 2021/22, to accelerate our NHS mental health expansion plans, including NHS talking therapies through the improving access to psychological therapies services (IAPT). All integrated care systems are expected to commission IAPT services, integrated into physical care pathways, as part of their IAPT expansion plans locally.

To support healthcare professionals in the implementation of clear care pathways, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the diagnosis and treatment on a range of common skin conditions including eczema, acne, and psoriasis.  The guidance emphasises the need for health care professionals to consider a patient’s psychosocial wellbeing and refer onto specialist care where appropriate.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Disease Control
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department is providing to immunosuppressed people to help prevent the spread of covid-19; what progress the government has made on approving Evusheld for use by those people; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Will Quince

Those at higher risk from COVID-19 due to their immune system continue to be supported by a number of interventions. Interventions for this group include:

· Prioritisation for vaccinations and boosters

· Priority access to Covid-19 therapeutic and antiviral treatments

· Advice on protective behaviours

· Guidance for this cohort can be found on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk)

Although Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval from the MHRA in March 2022, the decision not to procure Evusheld at this present time is based on independent clinical advice by the multi-agency initiative RAPID C-19 and a national expert policy working group, following a review of a range of evidence including clinical trial data. Their conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence of benefit to recommend deployment at this time. The Chief Medical Office for England is content that the correct process for providing clinical advice has been followed and it has now been referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for further evaluation.


Written Question
Abortion: Analgesics
Thursday 6th October 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 20 May 2022 to Question 604 and of 23 May 2022 to Question 2703, which stated that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists were reviewing the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness, whether her Department has taken steps to help ensure that there is no conflict of interest in their guidelines.

Answered by Caroline Johnson

The Department has not done so. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is an independent organisation, responsible for producing clinical guidelines which set standards for high quality women’s healthcare.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Abortion notification forms for England and Wales, for what reason there is a discrepancy between the HSA4 paper form and the HSA4 electronic form related to written confirmation being required for patients under 13; and what safeguarding procedures her Department has put in place to ensure vulnerable children under 13 are cared for.

Answered by Caroline Johnson

All abortion notification forms are reviewed and data quality checks are completed. Whilst electronic forms automatically send a prompt to check date of birth for a patient under the age of 14 years old, paper forms where the age is recorded as under 14 years old are returned by post for confirmation of the date of birth.

The Department has specific required standard operating procedures for independent providers to follow for those aged under 13 years old accessing services. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently published safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded and that vulnerable children under 13 years old are appropriately cared for.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence her Department assessed prior to the decision to update the HSA4 electronic form to note that for medical abortions, abortion providers should use the dates that they supplied the medication to the patient, rather than the dates the provider advised the patient that they should take them; and what steps are being taken to ensure complications arising from the same early medical abortion are recorded, given that complications would be unknown prior to the pills being taken.

Answered by Caroline Johnson

The Abortion (Amendment) Regulations 2022 updated the notification requirements for medical abortion. When both pills for medical abortion are taken in the clinic, providers are required to record the date of treatment. When one or both pills are to be self-administered at home, providers are required to record the date on which the early medical abortion pill was due to be taken by the patient, in accordance with the medical practitioner’s instructions.

The Department is aware that complications may be less likely to be recorded where one or both pills are taken at home. We are currently identifying additional sources of information to complement data on complications from notification forms and review and improve the reporting of serious incidents.


Written Question
Foetuses: Pain
Friday 20th May 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists takes wide-ranging evidence in open session as part of its upcoming review of its fetal pain guidelines, as recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group’s inquiry into fetal pain, published in 2020.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Department does not set clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion’ and ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which are available at the following links:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/rcogfetalawarenesswpr0610.pdf

The Royal College is currently reviewing ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’, independently of Government. The Department has brought Dr Stuart Derbyshire’s research to the attention of the College, which established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness. The gathering of evidence for the review is a matter for this group.


Written Question
Foetuses: Pain
Friday 20th May 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to publish the responses by the peer reviewers to (a) Fetal awareness: review of research and recommendations for practice, published in 2010 and (b) the forthcoming set of guidelines on fetal pain.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Department does not set clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion’ and ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which are available at the following links:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/rcogfetalawarenesswpr0610.pdf

The Royal College is currently reviewing ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’, independently of Government. The Department has brought Dr Stuart Derbyshire’s research to the attention of the College, which established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness. The gathering of evidence for the review is a matter for this group.


Written Question
Foetuses: Pain
Friday 20th May 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of research conducted by Dr Stuart Derbyshire, if he will ask the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to update its guidelines on the use of fetal painkillers from 18 weeks gestation prior to an abortion.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Department does not set clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion’ and ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which are available at the following links:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/rcogfetalawarenesswpr0610.pdf

The Royal College is currently reviewing ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’, independently of Government. The Department has brought Dr Stuart Derbyshire’s research to the attention of the College, which established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness. The gathering of evidence for the review is a matter for this group.


Written Question
Abortion: Coronavirus
Monday 7th February 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department is maintaining the temporary at-home abortion policy in place while other covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We are considering all evidence submitted to the Government’s public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion. We will publish our response as soon as possible. The approval was put in place on a temporary basis and is time limited for two years or until the end of the pandemic.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Monday 7th February 2022

Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department's response to the consultation on home use of both pills for early medical abortion will be published.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We are considering all evidence submitted to the Government’s public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion. We will publish our response as soon as possible. The approval was put in place on a temporary basis and is time limited for two years or until the end of the pandemic.