Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 ensure patients in Yeovil constituency receive timely correspondence on NHS (a) appointments, (b) cancellations and (c) rescheduling of appointments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is putting patients first, by making sure they are seen as quickly as possible and have the best possible experience, which includes receiving timely communication and information about their health and care.
The Government’s focus on shifting from analogue to digital will streamline information and communication processes, including by improving the NHS App. This will make it easier and quicker for patients to access information about their appointments, to cancel and reschedule appointments, and to receive correspondence on National Health Service test results. 87% of acute trusts in England now allow patients to view appointment information via the NHS App if they wish, reducing reliance on physical letters. Expanded use of the NHS App has prevented over 1.5 million missed hospital appointments since July 2024. It also saves staff time to focus on providing high quality, non-digital communication for those who want and need it.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 ensure patients in Yeovil constituency receive timely correspondence on NHS test results.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is putting patients first, by making sure they are seen as quickly as possible and have the best possible experience, which includes receiving timely communication and information about their health and care.
The Government’s focus on shifting from analogue to digital will streamline information and communication processes, including by improving the NHS App. This will make it easier and quicker for patients to access information about their appointments, to cancel and reschedule appointments, and to receive correspondence on National Health Service test results. 87% of acute trusts in England now allow patients to view appointment information via the NHS App if they wish, reducing reliance on physical letters. Expanded use of the NHS App has prevented over 1.5 million missed hospital appointments since July 2024. It also saves staff time to focus on providing high quality, non-digital communication for those who want and need it.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve early interventions for young people with severe mental health issues.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of early intervention, and that too many children and young people, including those with severe mental health issues, are not getting the support or care they need. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult services, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, whilst also helping to ease pressure on the busy mental health services.
We will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school, so that mental health conditions can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life.
In addition, NHS England is currently refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders. The refreshed guidance will highlight the importance of awareness and early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 potential merits of increasing financial support for nurse-led arts and crafts groups for patients (a) with and (b) recovering from cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.
We are supporting those experiencing cancer with access to psychosocial support, which can include NHS Talking Therapy services and evidence-based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression. In addition, NHS England has published service specifications for providers of children and young people’s cancer services, including reducing physical, emotional, and psychological morbidity arising from treatment.
We recognise the importance of using the voluntary and community sector to provide a range of holistic support offers for patients’ wellbeing and mental health. Social prescribing is a key component of the National Health Service’s Universal Personalised Care and is a way for general practices or local agencies to refer people to a Social Prescribing Link Worker. Social prescribing link workers focus on ‘what matters to me’ and connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support, including arts-based activities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 potential merits of using arts and crafts groups to help support cancer (a) treatment and (b) recovery.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.
We are supporting those experiencing cancer with access to psychosocial support, which can include NHS Talking Therapy services and evidence-based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression. In addition, NHS England has published service specifications for providers of children and young people’s cancer services, including reducing physical, emotional, and psychological morbidity arising from treatment.
We recognise the importance of using the voluntary and community sector to provide a range of holistic support offers for patients’ wellbeing and mental health. Social prescribing is a key component of the National Health Service’s Universal Personalised Care and is a way for general practices or local agencies to refer people to a Social Prescribing Link Worker. Social prescribing link workers focus on ‘what matters to me’ and connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support, including arts-based activities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 improve the diagnosis of dyslexia in children in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on waiting times for dyslexia assessments is not held centrally. Assessments for dyslexia in children are provided by an educational psychologist or an appropriately qualified specialist dyslexia teacher. If a parent thinks their child may be dyslexic, as a first step they should speak to their child’s teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator about their concerns. They may be able to offer additional support to help the child if necessary. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/
The early identification of needs and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and the statutory assessments at the end of key stage two.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for dyslexia assessments in (a) Yeovil, (b) Somerset and (c) the South West.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on waiting times for dyslexia assessments is not held centrally. Assessments for dyslexia in children are provided by an educational psychologist or an appropriately qualified specialist dyslexia teacher. If a parent thinks their child may be dyslexic, as a first step they should speak to their child’s teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator about their concerns. They may be able to offer additional support to help the child if necessary. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/
The early identification of needs and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including those with dyslexia. There are already a number of measures to help teachers do this, including the phonics screening check and the statutory assessments at the end of key stage two.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeline is for the opening of new Fracture Liaison Services in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.
FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), which make decisions according to local need. This is the case for all ICBs in the South West, including the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB and the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.
In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve public oral health education in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, local authorities are responsible for assessing the oral health needs, developing oral health strategies, and commissioning oral health improvement programmes for their local area. We have also published evidence-based resources for dental teams on preventive advice to improve their patients’ oral health. This is available at the following link:
We will be implementing a national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme to children aged three, four, and five years old living in our most deprived communities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the negotiations with Biomarine on the provision of Brineura as a treatment for Batten disease.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance for the National Health Service on whether Brineura (cerliponase alfa) can be recommended for routine NHS funding, taking into account real-world evidence collected during a period of managed access. The NICE and NHS England are actively engaging with BioMarin, as well as other stakeholders in the development of the guidance. These discussions are complex, and given the exceptional nature of this evaluation and the impact on patients and their families, it is essential that they take the necessary time and care to reach the best possible outcome. All parties are also committed to providing updates to stakeholders, notwithstanding the necessity that discussions are undertaken in a confidential setting.