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 he plans to respond to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for Chipping Barnet of 22 August, 7 October and 22 October 2022 on a request for a meeting to discuss the establishment of a dedicated three-digit mental health emergency hotline.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
I have received the correspondence from the Rt. hon. Member and will be in contact to arrange a meeting with the Rt. hon. Member as well as her constituents and representatives from the Calzy Foundation.
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 reduce waiting times for (a) tests and (b) treatment for functional neurological disorder.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
To increase capacity and reduce treatment backlogs in England across specialisms including for functional neurological disorder (FND), the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity.
This is supported further by £5.9 billion investment in capital for new beds, equipment and technology and the National Health Service rollout of surgical hubs and up to 160 Community Diagnostic Centres to deliver up to 17 million tests by March 2025.
Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has guidance in place to support clinicians to quickly diagnose and refer those with FND which is available at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127
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 - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
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 - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
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
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
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
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.