Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government takes to ensure that adequate and compassionate care for elderly patients is (a) affordable and (b) of high quality.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
‘People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform’, published in December 2021, set out how the Government will address quality, fairness and accessibility in adult social care services.
We continue to support local authorities to meet adult social care duties and deliver high quality care, including developing new measures relating to the workforce, strengthening assurance and improving outcome data.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with the British Medical Association on the (a) level of taxation of and (b) annual allowance for doctors' pensions; and whether his Department plans to amend these.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Taxation is a matter for HM Treasury. An individual may choose to claim their pension for a number of reasons and it is not possible to isolate the impact of any single factor, such as the annual allowance on retention. The Department monitors the retirement patterns and hours worked by senior doctors and keeps the NHS Pension Scheme rules under review to ensure it continues to help the National Health Service attract and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality care for patients.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of inflation on the pension (a) scheme and (b) annual allowance for NHS doctors.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The NHS Pension Scheme protects the value of pensions in payment by an increase through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) each April using the CPI figure from the previous September. The Scheme also re-values accrued career-average pension benefits by CPI plus 1.5% annually for active members. A higher rate of revaluation will increase the size of pensions and may therefore increase annual allowance pension tax liability in a situation where inflation is increasing.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the 2022-23 salary increase for trainee doctors at levels ST6 and above will commence.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Salaries for all trainee doctors, including those at ST6 level and above, were increased from 1 April 2022.
The pay arrangements applicable from 1 April 2022 for doctors and dentists in training, are detailed in the relevant NHS Employers’ Pay and Conditions Circular at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to remove the annual allowance from the pension scheme for NHS doctors; and if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the existing pension scheme on the retention of doctors in the NHS.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Departmental officials have regular discussions with the British Medical Association’s pension committee chair on tax and other pension matters. While the level of taxation and tax allowances are matters for HM Treasury, the Government is reviewing the interaction between taxation and pensions in the National Health Service.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 impact on retention of junior doctors by the NHS of limiting 2022 pay rises to the amount set out in the 2019 four-year pay settlement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Junior doctors have a pre-existing multi-year pay and contract reform deal agreed with the trade union. As well as setting annual pay increases, the deal made improvements to terms and conditions and further strengthened safety and rest limits. Alongside investment in pay, the Government has also invested £90 million to create a new higher pay point for the most experienced junior doctors, increase allowances for those working the most frequently at weekends, enhance eligibility for night shift pay and create a £1,000 a year allowance for junior doctors working less than full time to help with the cost of training. The multi-year deal ends in 2023 and the Government will consider next year’s pay increase with evidence on recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 awarding NHS junior doctors a higher pay rise than set out in the agreed 2019 four-year pay settlement in the context of the rising cost of living.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Junior doctors have a pre-existing multi-year pay and contract reform deal agreed with the trade union. As well as setting annual pay increases, the deal made improvements to terms and conditions and further strengthened safety and rest limits. Alongside investment in pay, the Government has also invested £90 million to create a new higher pay point for the most experienced junior doctors, increase allowances for those working the most frequently at weekends, enhance eligibility for night shift pay and create a £1,000 a year allowance for junior doctors working less than full time to help with the cost of training. The multi-year deal ends in 2023 and the Government will consider next year’s pay increase with evidence on recruitment and retention.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) cost-effectiveness and (b) efficiency gains of maintaining Fracture Liaison Services to local NHS and care services; and whether his Department is taking steps to assist Vale of York CCG and York Hospital Trust to establish a Fracture Liaison Service for York.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Services for those with osteoporosis and bone health conditions, including Fracture Liaison Services (FLS), are commissioned locally. NHS England is working with local integrated care systems (ICSs) to support the implementation of FLS and increase the number of clinics. NHS England is also developing regional bone health clinical networks to support clinicians working in FLS. The Department expects musculoskeletal, fragility fracture and fall services to be fully incorporated into ICSs’ planning, informed by the metrics available on the Model Health System (MHS) platform. NHS England has worked with the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and the Royal College of Physicians, to ensure key performance indicators from the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme are included within the MHS.
No specific assessment has been made of the potential for cost-effectiveness or efficiency gains of maintaining FLS or the establishment of a service in York.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assistance his Department provides (a) Clinical Commissioning Groups and (b) Hospital Trusts to (i) operate Fracture Liaison Services and (ii) contribute to the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme; and if his Department will take steps to assist Vale of York CCG and York Hospital Trust to establish a Fracture Liaison Service for York.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Services for those with osteoporosis and bone health conditions, including Fracture Liaison Services (FLS), are commissioned locally. NHS England is working with local integrated care systems (ICSs) to support the implementation of FLS and increase the number of clinics. NHS England is also developing regional bone health clinical networks to support clinicians working in FLS. The Department expects musculoskeletal, fragility fracture and fall services to be fully incorporated into ICSs’ planning, informed by the metrics available on the Model Health System (MHS) platform. NHS England has worked with the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and the Royal College of Physicians, to ensure key performance indicators from the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme are included within the MHS.
No specific assessment has been made of the potential for cost-effectiveness or efficiency gains of maintaining FLS or the establishment of a service in York.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults with cystic fibrosis in England saw a clinical psychologist at their annual review, in each year since 2015.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows quarterly data on the proportion of children with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review. Data is not held prior to 2019 and information for Quarter 4 in 2021/22 is not yet available.
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Quarter 1 | 78.6% | 48.7% | 63.8% |
Quarter 2 | 57.3% | 37.3% | 44.2% |
Quarter 3 | 66.1% | 50.0% | 58.2% |
Quarter 4 | 58.6% | 55.8% | - |
The following table shows quarterly data on the proportion of adults with cystic fibrosis in England who saw a clinical psychologist within the 12 months prior to their latest annual review. Data is not held prior to 2019 and information for Quarter 4 in 2021/22 is not yet available.
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Quarter 1 | 82.2% | 20.4% | 33.3% |
Quarter 2 | 72.6% | 66.8% | 25.4% |
Quarter 3 | 80.2% | 59.6% | 38.5% |
Quarter 4 | 65.3% | 54.6% | - |