Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 ensure that pharmacies in Erith and Thamesmead constituency have an adequate antibiotics, including those used to treat Strep A.
Answered by Will Quince
The information on medicine supply at a local level is not held centrally.
The continued demand for antibiotics to treat Strep A is making it difficult for some pharmacies to obtain certain antibiotics. We have been taking decisive action to address these temporary issues and to improve access to these medicines. These actions include working with manufacturers and wholesalers to ensure that they expedite deliveries, bring forward stock they have to ensure it gets to where it is needed and to boost supply to meet demand as quickly as possible. Deliveries to wholesalers and pharmacies are currently being made, with more expected in the coming days and weeks.
Eight Serious Shortage Protocols have been issued to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative form of penicillin V, or alternative antibiotic, if they don’t have the specific product stated on the prescription.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 effectiveness of communications on (a) managing availability of and (b) access to vaccination services at GP surgeries.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
While no specific assessment has been made, general practices (GPs) are contractually obliged to provide various routine vaccinations and immunisations. They may also opt in to provide seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Practices are also required to communicate information on clinical appointments, including vaccinations and immunisations, to patients which may be done through the National Health Service website, the practice leaflet, the practice website, on a waiting room poster, by writing to the patient and through active offers by staff booking appointments.
Where a seasonal or response vaccine drive is in place, such as COVID-19, flu and polio, vaccination centres and pharmacies are being used in addition to GPs to deliver the vaccination, to offer more availability and accessibility for patients.
Communications evaluation does not specifically assess the effect on managing availability of and access to vaccination services at GP surgeries, but instead focuses on driving intention and uptake via relevant and available operational routes.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce the waiting times and cancellations for surgeries in England.
Answered by Will Quince
The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years.
We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.
In England, there are 89 elective surgical hubs focusing on providing high volume, low complexity surgery. These surgical hubs help separate elective care facilities from urgent and emergency care to create additional capacity for elective surgeries.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) reduce the rate of infant mortality and (b) increase the number of full-time members of staff specialising in bereavement care; and if he will make an assessment of the reasons for trends in the level of infant mortality in the last five years.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
To reduce the rate of stillbirth and neonatal morality we have introduced targeted interventions such as the implementation of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle and the National Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme.
Saving Babies’ Lives Version Two combines five elements of care, reducing smoking in pregnancy, risk assessment, prevention and surveillance of pregnancies at risk of fetal growth restriction, raising awareness of reduced fetal movement, effective fetal monitoring during labour and reducing preterm birth. The National Maternity and Neonatal Safety Improvement programme aims to improve the safety and outcomes of maternal and neonatal care by reducing unwarranted variation and provide a high-quality healthcare experience for all women, babies and families across maternity and neonatal care settings in England.
Between 2016 and 2020, the infant mortality rate decreased by 5.3%, from 3.8 to 3.6%, per 1,000 live births. In 2020, the rate for male was higher at 4.0% than for female 3.2%.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 address the needs of people with complex mental health issues who are experiencing drug addiction and substance abuse problems.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The 10-year drug strategy commits to ensuring the better integration of services, including ensuring people’s mental health needs are addressed to reduce harm and support recovery. We are working closely with NHS England to develop a joint action plan to improve treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions, as recommended in Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs.
On 3 August 2022, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities published guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas. This commissioning quality standard includes a requirement for commissioning partnerships to engage with other services, including mental health and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to support integrated working across government to address the needs of people with mental health problems.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department continues to develop and deliver cross-Government policies to support people with mental health needs. Following a call for evidence on long term actions to support mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention, we are currently considering the responses received.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce barriers to entry in to the care sector for (a) UK and (b) international applicants.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Training or qualification requirements for entry into the care sector for United Kingdom applicants apply only to regulated professionals. Employers can access free and fast-track Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and barred list checks for covid-19 related recruitment, and DBS continue to operate the Adult First Check service for the care sector.
On 15 February 2022 care workers were added to the Health and Care Visa and the Shortage Occupation List, enabling these roles to be recruited from overseas. The Government also announced on 22 September 2022 that it would invest £15 million in a fund to boost international recruitment of care workers. The fund will be launched shortly.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 increase the availability of defibrillators in local areas.
Answered by James Morris
NHS England and NHS Improvement and St John Ambulance are co-ordinating the development of skills to increase the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by individuals in community settings, supported by confident cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. This will include a national network of community advocates to champion the importance of first aid and train 60,000 people to save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028.
The Government encourages organisations across England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first aid equipment, particularly in locations with a high concentration of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities in locations such as shopping centres.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 encourage members of the public to undertake defibrillator training.
Answered by James Morris
NHS England and NHS Improvement and St John Ambulance are co-ordinating the development of skills to increase the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by individuals in community settings, supported by confident cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. This will include a national network of community advocates to champion the importance of first aid and train 60,000 people to save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028.
The Government encourages organisations across England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first aid equipment, particularly in locations with a high concentration of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities in locations such as shopping centres.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
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 adequacy of the ability of people with (a) disabilities and (b) long term health conditions to see a consultant.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No specific assessment has been made. National Health Service trusts are responsible for ensuring reasonable adjustments are made to support patients accessing hospital services. This could include longer appointment times for patients with their consultant, priority for earlier appointments slots and provision of equipment aids for ease of access.
NHS Digital and NHS England have introduced the Reasonable Adjustment Flag, which indicates when reasonable adjustments are required for an individual. Following successful pilots, the platform is now available in all providers. Technology is also providing patients with disabilities or long-term health conditions with more choice and convenience when accessing the care they need. This includes virtual appointments, digital triaging and remote monitoring through the NHS app or My Planned Care.