Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the sale of high caffeine (a) drinks and (b) foods to under-16-year-olds.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
There are no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the sale of high caffeine foods to children under 16 years old. We have consulted on a proposal to end the sale of energy drinks, which are high in caffeine, to children in England and we will be setting out our full response to the consultation in due course.
Manufacturers currently must label foods to which caffeine is added for a physiological purpose: “Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant women” and all drinks (except tea and coffee) containing over 150mg of caffeine per litre as “High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women”.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to (a) adult hearing loss services and (b) sight loss services in Bradford South constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department does not currently have any plans to make such an assessment. Commissioning of hearing and sight loss services takes place at a local level based on the needs of the local population, and we expect commissioners to follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Regarding sight loss services, the development of integrated care systems and the National Ophthalmic Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme represents an opportunity to join up social and clinical care and ensure that there is an integrated approach to covering all aspects of eye care including access to sight loss services.
For hearing loss, the Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss, including prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence and enabling people to take part in everyday activities. ‘Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups’ was published in July 2016. This framework supports the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.
Where sight or hearing loss leads to a social care need, local authorities are responsible for assessing an individual’s eligibility for care and support.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 improve the waiting times for patients referred to NHS hospital trusts for (a) hearing and (b) sight loss.
Answered by Will Quince
We are taking action to recover elective services, including for patients with hearing and sight loss, by working towards the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan and providing the National Health Service with record levels of staffing and funding. To support elective recovery, we plan to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, supported by a £5.9 billion investment in capital, including for new beds, equipment, and technology.
This funding could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks and procedures, including for patients referred to NHS hospital trusts for hearing and sight loss, and a significant part of this funding will be invested in staff, both in terms of capacity and skills.
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. The funding will also be used to increase capacity for imaging and improving digital diagnostics. Large CDC hubs provide ophthalmology and audiology tests.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of regional disparities in the provision of fracture liaison services on patients.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government recognises the value of quality assured secondary fracture prevention services, including fracture liaison services (FLS). Within the 'Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework', under next steps for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, it sets out that, together with NHS England, we will explore supporting the provision of FLS. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce risk of future fracture, including falls, and mortality.
Through its Getting it Right First Time Programme, with a specific workstream on MSK health, NHS England is exploring how best to support integrated care systems in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. This includes a focus on improving provision of and equity of access to high-quality, secondary fracture prevention services, such as FLS, which help to identify those most at risk and offer preventative support.
We are currently assessing the accessibility of FLS through data collected in the national Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme. This aims to identify any disparities in provision across England and to improve services.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 potential merits of increasing fracture liaison services across England.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government recognises the value of quality assured secondary fracture prevention services, including fracture liaison services (FLS). Within the 'Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework', under next steps for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, it sets out that, together with NHS England, we will explore supporting the provision of FLS. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce risk of future fracture, including falls, and mortality.
Through its Getting it Right First Time Programme, with a specific workstream on MSK health, NHS England is exploring how best to support integrated care systems in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. This includes a focus on improving provision of and equity of access to high-quality, secondary fracture prevention services, such as FLS, which help to identify those most at risk and offer preventative support.
We are currently assessing the accessibility of FLS through data collected in the national Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme. This aims to identify any disparities in provision across England and to improve services.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 help reduce the time taken to diagnose ovarian cancer.
Answered by Will Quince
Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including ovarian cancer, remains a priority. We are working towards the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. The latest published data shows this was 52% between January to December 2020. Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. The National Health Service is improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. This will help support faster ovarian cancer diagnosis. 108 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development. By March 2024, the NSS programme will achieve full population coverage across England for non-specific symptom pathways as set out in the 2023/24 NHS Planning Guidance.
Reducing variation in cancer services is a strategic priority for the NHS Cancer Programme. The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned five new cancer clinical audits, which will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October last year with the first outcomes expected in 2023/24. This includes an audit on ovarian cancer.
To encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) campaigns. This included multiple phases of the campaign that had a focus on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer, most recently in November and December 2022. Alongside that phase of the campaign, NHS England funded a series of community engagement events coordinated by a cluster of gynaecological cancer charities, led by Target Ovarian Cancer.
The NHS plans to run further HUHY campaign activity through 2023/24.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 help increase awareness of the main symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Answered by Will Quince
Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including ovarian cancer, remains a priority. We are working towards the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. The latest published data shows this was 52% between January to December 2020. Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. The National Health Service is improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. This will help support faster ovarian cancer diagnosis. 108 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development. By March 2024, the NSS programme will achieve full population coverage across England for non-specific symptom pathways as set out in the 2023/24 NHS Planning Guidance.
Reducing variation in cancer services is a strategic priority for the NHS Cancer Programme. The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned five new cancer clinical audits, which will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October last year with the first outcomes expected in 2023/24. This includes an audit on ovarian cancer.
To encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) campaigns. This included multiple phases of the campaign that had a focus on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer, most recently in November and December 2022. Alongside that phase of the campaign, NHS England funded a series of community engagement events coordinated by a cluster of gynaecological cancer charities, led by Target Ovarian Cancer.
The NHS plans to run further HUHY campaign activity through 2023/24.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 help facilitate the employment of dentists from overseas by NHS dental practices.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
To deliver National Health Service dental services, a dentist must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and listed on the Dental Performers List (DPL) of the country in which they wish to practise.
We have recently introduced legislation that enables the GDC to improve its international registration processes. The GDC is identifying the ways it considers these processes can best be improved, while maintaining the necessary standards for public protection, and is working to implement any changes over the next 12 months. In the meantime, the GDC has announced that it has tripled the number of places for Part 1 of its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) in response to the current demand, meaning there will be 600 places available for the August 2023 sitting of the ORE Part 1, instead of the usual 200.
As of 1 April 2023, NHS England manages all applications to join the England DPL. This means all applicants who have not completed Dental Foundation Training in the United Kingdom are invited by NHS England to engage in a structured conversation that assesses whether they have the knowledge, skills, and experience to perform NHS primary dental services.
The change is intended to accelerate the process for overseas dentists to join the DPL and start working in the NHS.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the waiting time to be enlisted on a course accredited by Health Education England to enable dentists to perform clinical supervision of colleagues.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England are responsible for supervisors in recognised formal training programmes. Educational and clinical supervisors receive their training either before, or within three months, of the trainee commencing the programme.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time from referral to second appointment was for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services service users for (a) all pathways and (b) the neurodevelopment diagnostic pathway for autism and ADHD between April 2022 and January 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not available, as the data for this period has not been validated due to being impacted by a cyber incident that affected several providers.