Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to make additional funds available to areas where specialist cerebral palsy facilities are not currently available.
Answered by David Mowat
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning universal health services for their area that meet the needs of their local population. In doing so they should take account of best practice such as that set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Funding for CCGs is allocated by NHS England using an agreed formula.
Paediatric neurology services are provided in both out and in-patient settings. The majority of these are specialised services commissioned directly by NHS England. These specialised services are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities. However, paediatric neurology provides out-patient services based in secondary care centres around the geographical region served. This allows specialist services to be provided as near to patients as is reasonably feasible
When considering what services should be commissioned we expect commissioners to take account of best practice and guidance and, where appropriate, the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need.
The Department has asked NICE to develop guidance on cerebral palsy. The guideline, Cerebral palsy: diagnosis and management in children and young people under 25 is currently open for consultation and is expected to be published in January 2017. Guidance for adults is also being developed and is expected to be published in 2019.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department has in place to ensure that children with cerebral palsy in rural areas are able to access the services they require.
Answered by David Mowat
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning universal health services for their area that meet the needs of their local population. In doing so they should take account of best practice such as that set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Funding for CCGs is allocated by NHS England using an agreed formula.
Paediatric neurology services are provided in both out and in-patient settings. The majority of these are specialised services commissioned directly by NHS England. These specialised services are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities. However, paediatric neurology provides out-patient services based in secondary care centres around the geographical region served. This allows specialist services to be provided as near to patients as is reasonably feasible
When considering what services should be commissioned we expect commissioners to take account of best practice and guidance and, where appropriate, the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need.
The Department has asked NICE to develop guidance on cerebral palsy. The guideline, Cerebral palsy: diagnosis and management in children and young people under 25 is currently open for consultation and is expected to be published in January 2017. Guidance for adults is also being developed and is expected to be published in 2019.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how guidance on finding pathways of continuous glucose monitoring for people with diabetes is communicated to clinical commissioning groups and people applying for such funding.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance has been issued for the funding pathways of continuous glucose monitoring for people with diabetes.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken in response to the findings of the first set of operational data collected by NHS England on wheelchair services; and what steps he is taking to ensure that short-term wheelchair loans are available for people waiting for provision of NHS wheelchairs.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The national wheelchair services data collection was introduced by NHS England in July 2015 and requires clinical commissioning groups to submit quarterly data on their wheelchair services. Data has so far been published for quarter two and quarter three 2015/16. This is a new collection and therefore does not yet provide an opportunity to draw national or regional comparisons. The vast majority of short term wheelchair loans are provided through charities such as the Red Cross and not via the National Health Service.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Putting the wheels in motion: Assessing the value of British Red Cross short-term wheelchair loans, published by British Red Cross, July 2015, what assessment he has made of demand for short-term wheelchair loans.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Wheelchair services are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). No information is held centrally about the demand for short-term wheelchair loans, which are predominantly made by charities such as the Red Cross rather than by CCGs themselves.
NHS England has recently established a new national wheelchair dataset, which went live from 1 July. This will enable the use of data in future to drive improvement in wheelchair services that are provided by the National Health Service.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 5.26 of his Department's report, An Intelligence Framework for Cancer published in December 2011, what discussions he has had with Public Health England on funding a new database to support the introduction of Primary HPV screening through a single national screening database.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Information technology to support cervical screening and the potential introduction of primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening will be discussed at the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) on 12 February 2015. Public Health England (PHE) will be made aware of any ACCS recommendations resulting from the meeting.
In April 2014 the UK National Screening Committee gave its support for a pilot to assess the value of using HPV TaPS for cervical disease, rather than the currently used cytology test. The pilot is establishing the feasibility of using HPV testing as the primary screen for cervical disease in order to achieve better outcomes for women, while minimising over-treatment and anxiety, and whether it is practical to roll out nationally.
The pilot programme was developed by PHE and advised by the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening. The pilot sites, which began in May 2013, are: Liverpool, Manchester, Northwick Park (Harrow), Bristol, Sheffield and Norwich. The first evaluation report is due in spring 2015.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates since 2 July 2014 he has discussed with charities the use of off-patent drugs for new indications; and what the content of these discussions was.
Answered by George Freeman
Off-patent drugs are those whose patent period has expired and they are widely used in the National Health Service now. Drugs can also be prescribed ‘off-label’ outside of their licensed indication(s) to individual patients where doctors consider it is clinically appropriate to do so. Prescribing decisions are rightly a matter for clinicians in discussion with their patients.
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with charities about the use of off-patent drugs for new indications since 2 July. Officials have had several discussions with the Breast Cancer Campaign covering their views on medicines licences, implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and planning the roundtable discussion on adoption of new evidence into clinical practice. There have also been ongoing discussions with Cancer Research UK on the use of aspirin to help prevent certain cancers.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of progress on the Cancer Strategy target of saving an additional 5,000 lives from cancer per year by 2014-15.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Cancer survival and mortality rates continue to improve although it is too early to assess progress against our ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15, to halve the gap between the survival estimates in England and those in the best countries in Europe. Proxy measures are being developed to enable an assessment of progress in a more timely manner, particularly in terms of the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two and cancers diagnosed through emergency routes.
The National Health Service and Public Health Outcomes Framework indicators and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcomes Indicator Set are starting to enable us to assess progress, at national and local level. For example, data on one-year survival from all cancers and one-year survival from breast, lung and colorectal cancer were published as part of the CCG outcomes indicator set for the first time on 19 June 2014. NHS England is continuing to monitor the progress of the NHS in reducing mortality from cancer in line with the NHS Outcomes Framework, and from 2014-15 there will be a range of new NHS Outcomes Framework indicators reflecting different stages of diagnosis which will provide a good proxy measure in future on progress in delivering earlier stage of diagnosis of cancer.
The Mandate for the NHS for 2014-15 sets out an ambition for England to become one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths. Tackling premature deaths from cancer will contribute to this. A range of work at national and local level is aimed at improving cancer survival. For example, results from the first national “Be Clear on Cancer” lung cancer campaign in 2012 showed that around 700 extra patients were diagnosed with lung cancer compared to the previous year. Approximately 400 of these patients had their lung cancer diagnosed at an early stage, with around 300 more patients having surgery, giving them a better chance of survival.
NHS England took over responsibility for the annual national cancer patient experience survey from April 2013. The survey results are used by a range of stakeholders to identify practices that lead to positive experience for patients, and promote improvements.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality and other partners to develop more effective ways of using the survey results within the NHS, for example, working with successful and struggling organisations to identify and spread best practice.
CCGs are currently in the process of finalising measurable levels of ambition to improve patient experience and will be holding providers to account. These are based on NHS England's new measure for poor inpatient experience which includes whether patients are treated with dignity and respect.
Compassion in Practice, the three year vision and strategy for nursing, midwifery and care staff, is also seeking to increase feedback from vulnerable and disadvantaged patient groups, who can have poorer experiences of care.
In April 2014, NHS England introduced the staff friends and family test for all NHS Trusts in England, as research shows the strong link between levels of staff engagement and quality of patient experience.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Palliative Care Funding Review pilots are due to report.
Answered by Norman Lamb
NHS England will publish a draft national tariff document in February 2015. This will include details of a development currency for palliative care which will be based upon the data collected as part of the Palliative Care Funding Review pilots and the views of the palliative care sector. A draft will be published as part of an engagement process in the autumn.