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 is available patients with non-melanoma skin cancer to help with the psychological effect of (a) the disease and (b) the treatment for that disease.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS Long Term Plan sets a clear ambition that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer should have access to personalised care by 2021. Over the next five years, Cancer Alliances will be embedding personalised care interventions, which will identify and address the changing needs of cancer patients from diagnosis onwards.
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 Melanoma UK's report entitled, State of the Nation: Non Melanoma Skin Cancer, published in March 2020, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of non-melanoma skin cancer.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) supports Melanoma UK’s ambition to increase awareness of non-melanoma skin cancer.
PHE ran a regional Be Clear on Cancer campaign in 2014 to raise awareness of the signs of skin cancer aimed at people aged 50 and over, the age group most likely to be diagnosed with the most serious form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.
The Be Clear on Cancer campaigns are designed to improve rates of early diagnosis of cancer by raising the public’s awareness of specific cancer symptoms and encouraging people with those symptoms to go to the doctor promptly. The Be Clear on Skin Cancer advertising resources are available on the PHE Campaign Resource Centre, to a range of partners including the National Health Service, charities and local authorities for their continued use where needed. The Be Clear on Cancer Resources can be accessed at the following link:
https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/16-be-clear-on-cancer/resources
PHE also provides advice to other Government departments, such as the Health and Safety Executive, on sun safety to help develop their policies.
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 Melanoma UK's report entitled, State of the Nation: Non Melanoma Skin Cancer, published in March 2020, if he will make it his Department's policy to highlight the importance of wearing (a) sunscreen and (b) a hat when outside in the sun to help prevent skin cancer.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) is supportive of Melanoma UK’s initiative to increase awareness of non-melanoma skin cancer.
PHE supports the guidance on sun protection provided on the NHS website at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/
This guidance supports the wearing of hats and mentions the use of sunscreen. However, it states that sunscreen should not be relied upon alone to provide protection.
The ultraviolet (UV) Index provides an indication of the likelihood that the UV from the sun will cause sunburn. The BBC and the Met Office provide UV Index forecasts and advises that people check the UV Index forecasts. PHE reports near-live data from its monitoring sites across the UK at the following link:
https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/uv-index-graphs
Further advice on sun safety is included in the Heatwave Plan for England, available to view at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888668/Heatwave_plan_for_England_2020.pdf
PHE also provides advice to other Government departments, such as the Health and Safety Executive, on sun safety to help develop their policies.
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 has taken to support the needs of (a) autistic people and (b) people with learning difficulties during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 15 April, we set out our comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a range of guidance to support management of people with autism and learning disabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak which has been updated throughout the pandemic at the following link:
On 8 April, the Chancellor announced £750 million to support the charity sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 22 May a further announcement was made which detailed the health and social care charities that would be in receipt of a further £22 million of that funding, which includes funding for learning disability and autism charities. Further information is available at the following link:
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 correspondence his Department has had with (a) Marie Stopes, (b) BPAS, (c) RCOG, and (d) CQC on (a) monitoring compliance of use of abortion pills at home with the practice of use before the end of 10 weeks' gestation and (b) recording the number of instances of prescription of those pills to women beyond that gestation period.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Abortion data is published annually and data for 2020 is not due to be published until 2021. The data requires full quality assurance prior to release. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.
The Department is carefully monitoring the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to discuss the impact and any issues arising.
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, how many women beyond 10 weeks' gestation have taken both sets of abortion pills in their home since 1 April 2020.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Abortion data is published annually and data for 2020 is not due to be published until 2021. The data requires full quality assurance prior to release. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.
The Department is carefully monitoring the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to discuss the impact and any issues arising.
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, at what phase of the easing of covid-19 restrictions the Government plans to reverse the changes to abortion regulation made on 30 March 2020.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The measures were put in place to ensure that the vast majority of women and girls could continue to access abortion services whilst limiting COVID-19 transmission. This change was made on a temporary basis only and is time limited for two years, or until the pandemic is over. The Department is keeping under review when the temporary approval will be removed.
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, whether his Department undertook a risk assessment before issuing the March 2020 Approval of a Class of Places approval enabling at-home abortions.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Powers under the Abortion Act 1967 were used to temporarily approve women’s homes as a class of place where both abortion pills can be taken for early medical abortion following careful consideration of the risks and issues. In particular account was taken of social isolation and social distancing advice, that services were closing and appointments being cancelled. The measures were put in place to ensure that the vast majority of women and girls could continue to access abortion services whilst limiting COVID-19 transmission. In addition, access to abortion is an urgent matter as the procedure’s risk increases at later gestations and there are legal gestational limits for accessing services. This change was made on a temporary basis only and is time limited for two years, or until the pandemic is over.
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, whether his Department is able to ensure that a woman prescribed both abortion pills (a) over the phone, (b) via video conference and (c) by other electronic means will consume (i) both pills and (ii) both pills in the manner required; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers have used powers under the Abortion Act 1967 to temporarily approve women’s homes as a class of place where both abortion pills can be taken for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation.
As part of their consultation prior to treatment commencing, women will be clearly informed that medical abortion is a two-stage process which requires the administration of Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol to successfully complete the procedure.
In addition, the taking of Misoprostol at home, a policy which has been in place since December 2018 and has not led to any identified clinical compliance or other concerns.
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, how his Department plans to record any complications that result from at-home abortions; and whether the NHS will be required to report on the number of women that are admitted to hospital for complications after being prescribed (a) Mifepristone and (b) Misoprostol by telephone, video conference or other electronic means.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is carefully monitoring the impact of home use of the administration of abortion medication which has been introduced as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Complications are recorded on the HSA4 abortion notification form sent to the Chief Medical Officer. In addition, there is a statutory requirement for providers to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in cases of serious injury. Providers should be reporting and escalating issues to the CQC, who will follow up directly with the provider as required. Patients presenting in a National Health Service setting unexpectedly, due to complications, should be highlighted to the relevant independent health provider and all cases should be reported on the Strategic Executive Information System. The CQC engages regularly with the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement on these matters.
The Required Standard Operating Procedures set out in the Department’s Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy require that all providers should have in place a formal risk management system and keep a risk register to identify and minimise any risks to patients and staff.