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 the Government is taking to help people with Raynard's disease with additional heating costs associated with their condition.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government recognises that rising energy prices can make it more difficult for people to heat their homes, and that cold homes can have an adverse impact on the health of vulnerable population groups.
The Government’s cost of living support package includes specific measures aimed at the most vulnerable. This cost-of-living support is worth £26 billion in 2023/24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and disabled people.
The Government is also helping all households with their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. Over this winter the Government has paid around half of a typical household’s energy bill, cutting the average bill by £1,300 this winter.
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 is taking to reduce NHS waiting times for dermatology treatment.
Answered by Will Quince
In the autumn statement the Department committed to an additional £3.3 billion per year until 2024/25 to respond to significant pressures facing the National Health Service. This is on top of the £8 billion already committed until 2025 to reduce waiting times across specialisms, including for dermatology.
To support providers the Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme has introduced initiatives to improve dermatology services, including developing guidance to support with the clinical prioritisation of waiting lists and implementation guidance for specialist advice and guidance in dermatology.
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, how much funding his Department has provided for research into (a) prevention and (b) the treatment of cancer in each of the last 12 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds cancer research, including research into prevention and treatment. The following table shows NIHR spend on cancer research between 2010/11 to 2021/22. The information on allocation to prevention and treatment research is not held.
Financial Year | Total Spend |
2010/11 | £100 million |
2011/12 | £104 million |
2012/13 | £133 million |
2013/14 | £129 million |
2014/15 | £134 million |
2015/16 | £142 million |
2016/17 | £137 million |
2017/18 | £136 million |
2018/19 | £132 million |
2019/20 | £138 million |
2020/21 | £73 million |
2021/22 | £98 million |
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 ensure continued availability of rapid PCR testing to help control respiratory infections in winter 2022-23.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Diagnostic testing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for respiratory viruses is currently used by National Health Service trusts based on clinical and infection prevention and control needs. All policies are reviewed to ensure they are appropriate and there are currently no plans to replace the PCR respiratory testing capability.
The Living with COVID strategy published in February set out the roadmap to treating COVID-19 like other respiratory viruses such as flu. COVID-19 PCR testing remains available across NHS England in line with guidance, for example, where there is a need for a diagnostic test to inform treatment pathway. NHS Trusts make a choice on the appropriate balance of rapid and high-throughput PCR testing to best meet the needs of patients.
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 retain The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Testing Requirements and Standards) (England) Regulations 2020.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are no current plans to repeal these regulations.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Testing Requirements and Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 ensures all private providers offering COVID-19 testing services on a commercial basis in England, provide services that are of a sufficiently high safety or clinical standard.
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 deploy rapid molecular testing systems for patients who may be suffering from Strep A.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) current guidance on strep A rapid diagnostics does not recommend routine adoption of rapid molecular testing systems for diagnosing STREP-A in patients aged five years old and over presenting with sore throat.
A multi-agency guidance document was published through the National Health Service website to support clinicians providing an interim clinical guidance summary on Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection in children. The aim of this guidance is to support clinical diagnosis, promote appropriate use of antimicrobials, whilst ensuring patient safety in an evolving situation. The guidance is available at the following link:
UK Health Security Agency have robust arrangements for surveillance of strep A related infections implemented in England. This combines notifications of clinical diagnosis, syndromic surveillance of clinical presentations at GPs, emergency departments and through NHS 111, with reporting of laboratory testing of clinician-administered tests.
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 Government's commitment to an additional £39 billion of funding for the NHS over three years, announced in April 2022, is additional to, or part of, its 2018 pledge to increase the NHS budget by £33.9 billion a year, in cash terms, by 2023-24.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Long Term Plan set the target of increasing the National Health Service resource budget by £33.9 billion by 2023/24 to a total of £148.5 billion. The additional financial support provided to the NHS for the temporary impacts of COVID-19 have seen the NHS budget exceed £149 billion since 2020/21. Funding confirmed at the Spending Review and the long term settlement in 2018 have ensured the NHS resource budget in England will increase to £157.4 billion in 2023/24 and reach £162.6 billion in 2024/25.
The Government’s commitment to an additional £39 billion for the NHS and social care over three years announced in April 2022 is additional to the 2018 pledge.
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 progress the Government is making towards achieving the target it set in 2018 to increase the NHS budget by £33.9 billion a year, in cash terms, by 2023-24.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Long Term Plan set the target of increasing the National Health Service resource budget by £33.9 billion by 2023/24 to a total of £148.5 billion. The additional financial support provided to the NHS for the temporary impacts of COVID-19 have seen the NHS budget exceed £149 billion since 2020/21. Funding confirmed at the Spending Review and the long term settlement in 2018 have ensured the NHS resource budget in England will increase to £157.4 billion in 2023/24 and reach £162.6 billion in 2024/25.
The Government’s commitment to an additional £39 billion for the NHS and social care over three years announced in April 2022 is additional to the 2018 pledge.
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, when she will respond to the email sent to her predecessor by the Hon. Member for Chipping Barnet on 1 June 2021.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 18 June 2021.
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 action he is taking to increase rapid patient access to anti-viral treatments for covid-19.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Currently, immunocompromised patients, who form part of the high-risk cohort are a priority group eligible for receiving novel effective COVID-19 treatments within the community following a positive test. These treatments include both antiviral drugs and neutralising monoclonal antibodies which are available via COVID Medicines Delivery Units.
The Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel has been established to review the patient cohorts which could be eligible for COVID-19 therapies. On 30 May 2022 the Department published an Independent Advisory Group report which revised the high-risk cohort and included additional groups of patients. As a result of these changes and improved identification by the National Health Service, the cohort of eligible patients has grown to an estimated 1.8 million patients in the United Kingdom.
Access to treatments could be extended further if evidence from clinical trials supports doing so. The PANORAMIC study which aims to improve understanding of the effectiveness antivirals in preventing hospitalisation and/or death in a largely vaccinated population. It will provide data for the NHS to determine which patient groups could benefit most from antiviral treatments.