Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to support increased capacity for adult ADHD assessments in (i) Leeds and (ii) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD care pathways, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
The West Yorkshire ICB advises that the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is taking steps to assess and respond to the impact of the suspension of non-urgent referrals. This includes working to redesign the adult ADHD pathway in Leeds and setting up a new care navigator service for people on the waiting list who would like to discuss what support they need and their options under the NHS Choice Framework.
The ICB will be working with the ADHD patient support groups for Leeds and West Yorkshire on what they can do collectively to support patients during the pause to referrals, as well as involving them in the redesign of the local service.
A quality impact assessment and an equality impact assessment have been completed by the LYPFT, which will continue to be updated as the local NHS learns more about the impact of the suspension.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) is taking steps and (b) plans to take steps to support the adult ADHD service in Leeds to reopen their referrals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD care pathways, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
The West Yorkshire ICB advises that the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is taking steps to assess and respond to the impact of the suspension of non-urgent referrals. This includes working to redesign the adult ADHD pathway in Leeds and setting up a new care navigator service for people on the waiting list who would like to discuss what support they need and their options under the NHS Choice Framework.
The ICB will be working with the ADHD patient support groups for Leeds and West Yorkshire on what they can do collectively to support patients during the pause to referrals, as well as involving them in the redesign of the local service.
A quality impact assessment and an equality impact assessment have been completed by the LYPFT, which will continue to be updated as the local NHS learns more about the impact of the suspension.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's latest estimate is of the total cost of the rebuild of Leeds General Infirmary.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £32.8 million.
The breakdown of how much the Trust received for its new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The Trust is currently developing its Outline Business Case for the new Leeds General Infirmary scheme and is at Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stage 2.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the Leeds General Infirmary scheme received up to the end of the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £32.8 million.
The breakdown of how much the Trust received for its new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The Trust is currently developing its Outline Business Case for the new Leeds General Infirmary scheme and is at Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stage 2.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding had been allocated by the Treasury for the (a) Leeds Infirmary scheme and (b) New Hospital Programme up to 2 July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £32.8 million.
The breakdown of how much the Trust received for its new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The Trust is currently developing its Outline Business Case for the new Leeds General Infirmary scheme and is at Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stage 2.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) business case status and (b) Royal Institute of British Architects' stage is for Leeds General Infirmary scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. The New Hospital Programme had confirmed £3.7 billion in funding up to the end of 2024/25.
Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £32.8 million.
The breakdown of how much the Trust received for its new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual Trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
The Trust is currently developing its Outline Business Case for the new Leeds General Infirmary scheme and is at Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stage 2.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 help GP surgeries (a) improve energy efficiency and (b) reduce their carbon footprint.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Primary care will play an important role in helping the National Health Service achieve the net zero targets outlined in the report, Delivering a Net Zero NHS, published in July 2022, by decarbonising its estate, travel, and supply chain. Targeted efforts are needed to reduce emissions from medicines, which make up nearly two-thirds of primary care’s carbon footprint. There is range of support available to general practice (GP) surgeries to achieve this transition.
Supported by NHS England, the Royal College of General Practitioners is actively working to reduce the carbon footprint of GP surgeries through several initiatives like the Net Zero Hub, which provides guidance, eLearning, and tools for sustainability, and the Green Impact for Health Toolkit, which offers practical advice and awards for sustainable practices, among others. GP surgeries are also encouraged to use grants through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, for low-carbon heating solutions.
On efficiency and heat, all new buildings and major refurbishment projects, including primary care upgrades, will need to comply with NHS England’s Net Zero Building Standard, published in 2023.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that lactation consultants are widely available on the NHS.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government’s vision, as set out in The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, is that every parent and carer has access to high quality infant feeding services. Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we are investing £50 million to enable 75 participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of infant feeding support. The investment is being used to increase the range of advice and support available, including recruiting and training staff to improve workforce capacity and capability.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department have taken to reduce the time taken from initial presentation of symptoms to diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We’re set to reach nearly £1 billion of additional funding invested by 2023/24, compared to 2018/19, to transform community mental health services. In 2022/23, 288,000 people with severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder, accessed support through new integrated models of community care.
The funding aims to increase access to high quality care and transform care pathways for people with severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder, through: greater integration of primary and community services, to provide care in the community driven by the needs of individuals, rather than based solely on diagnoses; physical health checks; and Individual Placement and Support schemes, as well as Early Intervention in Psychosis services.
NHS England is also working on implementing new access and waiting time standards for mental health services, including one for adults with bi-polar disorder or similar, to start to receive community-based mental health care within four weeks of referral.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the average waiting time for people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to receive their first medication prescription in Leeds.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. The NICE guideline on ADHD does not set out a timeframe within which medication for ADHD should be provided. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the implications on departmental policies of the average waiting time from diagnosis of ADHD, to receiving a first medication prescription in Leeds.
In respect of the adequacy of ADHD service provision nationally, in December 2023, NHS England initiated a rapid piece of work to consider ADHD service provision within the National Health Service. The initial phase of work identified challenges, including with current service models and the ability to keep pace with demand. Following this initial review, NHS England is establishing a new ADHD taskforce alongside the Government, to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The new taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, and help provide a joined up approach in response to concerns around rising demand for assessments and support.
Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England has announced that it will continue to work with stakeholders to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.