Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to help women over 40 access IVF treatment.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
Funding decisions for health services in England, including in vitro fertilisation (IVF), are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for fertility provide the best practice for treatment for National Health Service patients and ICBs should have regard for their recommendations. The guidelines include a recommendation to offer one cycle of IVF for women between the ages of 40 and 42.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
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 ensure that Ferric Maltol is available on prescription to people in Chipping Barnet constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
Clinicians can prescribe any product on the National Health Service they consider necessary for the treatment of their patient unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004. Ferric Maltol is not listed in Schedules 1 or 2; however, NHS guidance is that vitamins and minerals should not be routinely prescribed except for when a patient has a medically diagnosed deficiency. This includes those patients who may have a lifelong or chronic condition or have undergone surgery that results in malabsorption. Ferric Maltol, which may be used to treat iron deficiency, may therefore be prescribed to patients, including those in Chipping Barnet constituency, on that basis.
It is for the general practitioner or other responsible clinician to work with their patient and decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration. Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, considering best prescribing practice and the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care board.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safety checks his Department is recommending that the NHS carry out in Barnet on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England has provided guidance for trusts nationally on how to establish the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their estate. There is ongoing engagement with trusts on a national and regional level to ensure RAAC is identified across the National Health Service estate. Where structural surveys identify RAAC in their estate, trusts are inducted into the national remediation programme.
The NHS already has a comprehensive mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with RAAC, including significant additional funding totalling £698 million from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures, such as propping, as well as to eradicate RAAC in non-whole hospital sites.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the number of face-to-face GP has returned to pre-covid-19 levels.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
From January to July 2023 69.5% of general practice appointments were face-to-face. For the same period in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 79.3% of general practice appointments were face-to-face. The proportion of face-to-face appointments was lowest in April 2020, at 46.7%.
A combination of face-to-face and remote appointments provides a choice of access routes for patients and additional flexibility and convenience. We expect patients to experience the same high quality of care regardless of how they access their general practice, and patients unable to access remote appointments should be offered an alternative appointment type.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP appointments were carried out face-to-face in 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
From January to July 2023 69.5% of general practice appointments were face-to-face. For the same period in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 79.3% of general practice appointments were face-to-face. The proportion of face-to-face appointments was lowest in April 2020, at 46.7%.
A combination of face-to-face and remote appointments provides a choice of access routes for patients and additional flexibility and convenience. We expect patients to experience the same high quality of care regardless of how they access their general practice, and patients unable to access remote appointments should be offered an alternative appointment type.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he Department is taking to improve the performance of the NHS in supporting women who experience birth trauma.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment that 66,000 women to access specialist perinatal mental health services by 2023/24. An estimated 52,000 accessed support in the 12 months to March 2023, over 60% higher than March 2021.
Alongside the expansion of specialist community perinatal mental health services, new services (called Maternal Mental Health Services) which combine maternity, reproductive health and psychological therapy are being established for women who experience moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from, or related to, their maternity experience. This may include those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following birth trauma, perinatal loss or severe fear of childbirth (tokophobia).
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include birth trauma in the Women's Health Strategy in the future.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system listens to women. Fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and postnatal support, and mental health and wellbeing, are both priority areas in the strategy.
As set out in the strategy, NHS England is improving perinatal mental health support. Mental health services around England are being expanded to include new mental health “hubs” for new, expectant or bereaved mothers. The 33 new maternal mental health services will provide psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health for women with mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available across England by March 2024.
In addition, specialist Community Perinatal Mental Health Services care will be available from preconception to 24 months after birth by 2023/24, with increased access to evidence-based psychological therapies.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timescale is for making a decision on whether to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant after the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.
NHS England and the Government are committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. Internal discussions regarding the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24 are ongoing, and NHS England is aiming to communicate details in the coming weeks, as soon as is practically possible.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to continue the NHS England Children's Hospice grant beyond the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Palliative and end of life care is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population.
NHS England and the Government are committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. Internal discussions regarding the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant beyond 2023/24 are ongoing, and NHS England is aiming to communicate details in the coming weeks, as soon as is practically possible.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to provide funding for the London Air Ambulance to purchase two new helicopters.
Answered by Will Quince
Air ambulances are not directly funded by the National Health Service. However, the Government has provided significant and sustained support to the sector. In 2019, the Department launched a three year capital grant programme which allocated £10 million to nine air ambulance charities across England, of which London’s Air Ambulance Charity and Barts Health NHS Trust received £1,393,552.
In addition, the Department provided £6 million of COVID-19 emergency funding to all 21 air ambulance charities across the United Kingdom, to ensure that each charity could continue to provide their life-saving services during the pandemic. London’s Air Ambulance Charity received £252,500 of this funding.
There are no current plans to provide further funding to the sector which operates through a longstanding and successful charitable model.