Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications for compensation have been (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) refused by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme since Covid-19 was added to the scheme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Between COVID-19 being added to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) on 31 December 2020 and 16 January 2024, 9,386 applications related to all vaccines, including those for COVID-19, were received by the VDPS. Following an independent medical assessment, 163 applications received award and 4,453 were rejected. A further 452 did not meet the criteria for medical assessment.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claimants have successfully been awarded compensation by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme since Covid-19 was added to the scheme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Between COVID-19 being added to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) on 31 December 2020 and 16 January 2024, 163 claimants to the VDPS have received an award for claims in relation to an eligible vaccine, including COVID-19. No claims to the VDPS have received compensation, as the VDPS is not a compensation scheme, and it is not designed to cover all expenses associated with severe disablement.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 publish regular data on the number of NHS staff working in each (a) speciality and (b) profession.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics for England, these cover staff working in National Health Service trusts and other core NHS organisations. The publication includes data on the number of staff working in each profession and numbers of doctors working in each medical specialty. The information is published monthly, and the data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 potential impact of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan on regional variations in access to Parkinson’s care.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The Long Term Workforce Plan, which was published in June 2023, includes projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed over the next 15 years.
It sets out the mix and number of staff required, as well as the actions and reforms across the National Health Service that will be needed to reduce the supply gap and improve retention. This plan will help ensure we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills and roles, in the right locations and at the right time, to transform and deliver high-quality services fit for the future.
The modelling and staff training plans presented in the Plan look at the NHS as a whole at a high level, to inform government decisions on the workforce. This is designed to identify the right supply of staff across all clinical pathways and specialisms rather than workforce plans for specific services.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
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 adequacy of provision of healthcare for people with dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone with dementia should have access to meaningful care after their diagnosis, along with information on local services and relevant support. The Department has published guidance on what to expect from health and care services following a diagnosis to help patients and their families understand and access the support and services available to them.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with dementia in Rother Valley constituency in the last 12 months.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally. The following table shows the number of people with a new dementia diagnosis code added to their record by NHS England for NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board in each reporting month from April 2023, the earliest period for which data was collected:
Month | Total number of patients registered at general practices | Recorded diagnosis of dementia | New recorded diagnosis of dementia |
April 2023 | 261,811 | 2,625 | 25 |
May 2023 | 262,051 | 2,646 | 50 |
June 2023 | 262,342 | 2,676 | 50 |
July 2023 | 262,726 | 2,701 | 40 |
August 2023 | 262,907 | 2,691 | 25 |
September 2023 | 263,198 | 2,733 | 35 |
October 2023 | 263,367 | 2,776 | 55 |
November 2023 | 263,650 | 2,801 | 30 |
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) review progress and (b) publish statements on the implementation of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have established a Long Term Workforce Plan Governance Board which will ensure the delivery and review the progress of the Long Term Workforce Plan implementation.
The modelling NHS England has used in the Plan is founded on data, evidence and analysis and provides a set of broad ranges to measure the potential impact of actions over its 15-year timeframe. We have committed to refreshing the modelling that underpins the plan every two years, or in line with fiscal events.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have no plans at this time to assess the efficacy of the NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) process or to review funding for CHC. The Government continues to work with our partners, including NHS England who are responsible for oversight of CHC delivery, to deliver CHC policy effectively.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that medical professionals who harm their patients face appropriate punishment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) to deal with concerns about a doctor’s fitness to practise.
The GMC is the independent regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom. The GMC sets and enforces the standards all doctors must adhere to
If concerns are raised with the GMC about a doctor’s behaviour, health or performance, the GMC can investigate to determine whether patient safety, or the public’s confidence in doctors, is at risk. In serious cases, doctors are referred to The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) who make decisions on a doctor’s fitness to practise. If necessary, MPTS tribunals can restrict or remove a doctor’s right to practise medicine in the UK.
The GMC also has a discretionary power under the Medical Act 1983 to disclose information relating to a doctor’s fitness to practise where it is in the public interest to do so. Where necessary, this enables the GMC to share information with the police about suspected criminal offences.
Other healthcare regulators, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council, have processes for investigating concerns and taking action where registrants fall short of the required standards of conduct and performance.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, If she will use the powers of the Social Care Act 2022 to help improve patient safety in cosmetic interventions.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government is using the powers in the Health and Care Act 2022 to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. The licensing scheme will help to uphold patient safety by ensuring that those who offer specified procedures are suitably knowledgeable, trained, qualified, hold appropriate indemnity cover and operate from premises which meet the necessary standards of hygiene, infection control and cleanliness.
We recently ran the first public consultation on the scope of the licensing scheme and are currently analysing the responses. We will publish our response in the new year.