Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 that people can access NHS dental care to (a) register with dentists, (b) book emergency appointments and (c) have regular routine check-ups and appointments.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including routine care. These will improve access to National Health Service dentistry whilst making the NHS dental contract more attractive to dental practices.
Through regulations updates that came into effect on 25 November 2022, NHS dentists are required to update their NHS.uk profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. Patients are only registered with a dental practice for the course of their treatment.
Urgent dental care should be provided as part of NHS dentists’ core service offer to patients. In circumstances where a person is unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice, or where parents are unable to access an urgent dental appointment for their child, they are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 potential merits of collecting data on the number of GPs with specific training on menopause issues.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. Women's health is embedded into the Royal College of General Practitioners curriculum for trainee general practitioners. The curriculum clinical topic guides cover the health care needs of women across all conditions and diseases seen in primary care including menopause.
The NHS England National Menopause Improvement Programme is working to improve clinical care for menopause in England. The programme is developing optimal care pathways aligned with the recommendations set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on menopause diagnosis and management, which represents best practice in menopause care. As part of the programme, NHS England is working with Health Education England and other stakeholders to develop content that will support delivery of training and awareness raising amongst healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer given on 20 December 2022 to Question 109778, on Hormone Replacement Therapy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of such alternative products on the health of patients.
Answered by Will Quince
Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) are a tool that has been in place for many years to manage and mitigate medicine and medical devices shortages and pharmacists will be familiar with the process.
The Department has sought clinical advice for these SSPs from national experts including clinicians from the British Menopause Society and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who are supportive of this management option. The SSPs were clinically checked by expert clinicians and signed off by senior clinicians at NHS England before being published. The substituted products that have been included in the SSPs are all licensed medicines that are considered clinically appropriate products by clinicians.
17 SSP’s for hormone replacement therapy products have been issued since April 2022. Most have been withdrawn as the supply position of products affected by short term supply issues have resolved. Five SSPs currently remain in place.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 inefficiencies across the NHS are reduced.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Health Service has agreed to double its annual efficiency target from 1.1% to 2.2%. The ‘2023/24 priorities and operational planning’ guidance, published on 23 December 2022, sets out key objectives to deliver this target over the year ahead. This includes supporting a more productive workforce, taking advantage of opportunities to deploy staff more flexibly, increasing theatre productivity, drawing on ‘Getting It Right First Time’ guidance, reducing agency spending, reducing corporate running costs, reducing procurement and supply chain costs, improving inventory management, and purchasing medicines at the most effective price point.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 ensure that inefficiencies in the (a) ambulance service and (b) NHS are reduced.
Answered by Will Quince
‘2023/24 priorities and operational planning’ guidance sets out that all National Health Service integrated care boards and providers will develop robust plans and oversight arrangements to meet the agreed 2.2% efficiency target and improve levels of productivity.
Measures to release efficiency savings will include actions to reduce agency spending across the NHS to 3.7% of the total pay bill, reduce corporate running costs, procurement and supply chain costs, improve inventory management, and purchase medicines at the most effective price point
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NHS staff on the (a) workload of management staff and (b) support available to management staff.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government is committed to looking after the National Health Service workforce. The health, safety and wellbeing of NHS staff, including mangers, is a priority as we continue to grow the NHS workforce. Strong and effective NHS management is vital to delivering safe and high-quality care.
The NHS People Plan and NHS People Promise, published in July 2020, set out a comprehensive range of actions that are focussed on making the NHS a better place to work and to improve retention. This includes a stronger focus on health and wellbeing, strengthening leadership and management to support staff and expanding opportunities for flexible working. We have committed to publishing a long term workforce plan this year to help ensure the NHS has the robust and resilient workforce it needs for the future.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to support to patients affected by hormone replacement therapy shortages.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products available in the United Kingdom and while most remain in good supply, a range of factors including an increase in demand has led to supply issues with a limited number of products.
We are working with suppliers and other stakeholders such as the National Health Service and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to maintain overall HRT supply to patients across the UK, including working to expedite resupply dates of the disrupted HRT products to resolve issues as soon as possible and to help fill supply gaps and prevent future shortages.
Access to in-demand products has improved since we issued Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) on HRT products to limit dispensing to three months’ supply to even out distribution and allow alternative products to be dispensed, as necessary. 17 SSP’s for HRT products have been issued since April 2022, and a much smaller number of SSP’s remain in place as the supply position of several products affected by short term supply issues have been resolved.
We regularly share communications about shortages and discontinuations with the NHS and have issued a number of communications about HRT supply issues to date. We have updated supply information about all HRT products, including those currently affected by supply issues, on the Specialist Pharmacy Services Medicine Supply Tool for NHS staff, including general practitioners to access.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to establish trials on the use of Bedrocan cannabis medicines for paediatric drug-resistant epilepsy.
Answered by Will Quince
The licensed cannabis-based medicine Epidyolex is routinely prescribed on the National Health Service for two forms of epilepsy. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for further evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines on the NHS.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has issued two calls for research proposals and a highlight notice on medicinal cannabis. Manufacturers, including those for Bedrocan Oils, are responsible for generating evidence to support the use of these products and to seek regulatory approval. The Government encourages manufacturers to do so and offers scientific and research advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NIHR.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, why the Government has postponed the implementation of the new advertising restrictions on unhealthy foods online and on TV to October 2025; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We need to take several steps ahead of implementation of the new advertising restrictions, including publishing regulations, consultations and guidance from the Government and the regulators. We have also listened carefully to the concerns raised by advertisers, broadcasters and regulators about having sufficient time with these documents to fully prepare and restructure their advertising. We also recognise that food businesses need time to reformulate products. Therefore, we have decided to delay implementation until 1 October 2025.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 potential impact of postponing the implementation of the advertising restrictions on unhealthy food on TV and online to October 2025 on (a) childhood obesity and (b) meeting the 2030 target to halve childhood obesity.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No specific assessment has been made.