Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 help ensure value for money in (a) medicines and (b) medical supplies in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A series of voluntary agreements between Government and the pharmaceuticals industry have existed since 1957 to control National Health Service spend on branded medicines. The current scheme came into effect at the start of 2019 and will last until the end of 2023. Agreement has been reached in principle with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on a successor scheme, the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth, which is set to save the NHS £14 billion over five years in medicines costs. The Department also has a broadly equivalent statutory scheme for branded medicine pricing which applies to companies that do not opt into the voluntary scheme.
For unbranded, generic medicines, the Department relies on competition to keep prices down, allowing prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ensures that the price that the NHS pays for medicines represents value for money and it recommends most medicines for use on the NHS. NICE decides whether medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.
The Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, committed to developing an environment to deliver value for money and affordability across the whole patient pathway for medical supplies. As part of this commitment, the Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Supply Chain alongside industry and patient groups to develop a consistent methodology for assessing value in terms of outcomes and not just unit cost, which will be adopted at both a national and local level. This is reflected in the new Commercial Strategic Framework launched by NHS England on 28 November 2023 in which a focus on value is recognised as a priority intervention. Further to this, as part of the wider Value Based Procurement (VBP) programme being delivered by NHS England and NHS Supply Chain has developed a toolkit and two VBP models. One model can be applied to the renewal of existing frameworks or contracts for product ranges, and the other is for the procurement of innovation. The toolkit and models are designed for internal use by NHS Supply Chain’s procurement teams and Category Management Service Providers and are not available for publication.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 help reduce shortages of (a) medical supplies and (b) drugs in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department works at a national level to address medical product supply issues and help prevent, manage, and mitigate shortages. We continue to see the knock-on impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Ukrainian War on global supply chains for medical supplies, and are aware of the increased pressure on global manufacturing capacity of some products.
In response to this, we utilise a range of preparedness arrangements coupled with tried-and-tested response measures. For example, our National Supply Disruption Response acts as a single point of contact when a health or care provider, supplier, or research body has exhausted all other options available to them to maintain supply of medical products to the United Kingdom. It is an end-to-end UK-wide service from investigation of shortages to arrangement of global freight solutions via the Express Freight Service that enables the user to report a critical supply issue and receive support on its management.
Medicines specifically are complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. We have well-established processes for working with the pharmaceutical industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England, the devolved governments and others operating in the supply chain to help ensure patients have access to the medicines they need.
In the long-term, improving and maintaining supply resilience forms a key part of the Government’s Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, where we will work with industry and the system to ensure patients have fast and safe access to medical technology, wherever they live in the country.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has taken steps to support social clubs for people with dementia in (a) Romford and (b) England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst the Department does not promote specific clubs or societies for people living with dementia and their carers, we recognise that clubs and societies can be important in supporting people to engage with their community and reduce social isolation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, includes guidelines for offering activities such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness, and animal assisted therapy to help promote wellbeing. Local authorities are also required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including unpaid carers, under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to (a) raise awareness and (b) tackle disinformation on dementia in (i) Romford and (ii) England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where there is less fear and stigma associated with dementia, and more understanding. The NHS Health Check for adults in England aged 45 to 74 years old is designed to identify early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or dementia. Since 2018, dementia risk reduction has been incorporated in the NHS Health Check to increase dementia awareness and motivate people to make positive changes to reduce their risks. In addition, those aged 65 years old and over are made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and guided to memory clinics.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to (a) fund and (b) support new dementia (i) treatment and (ii) research in (A) Romford and (B) England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person with dementia, their families and carers, receive high quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life.
Several potential new disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are in development. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Clinical Excellence (NICE), NHS England and the Department are working closely to ensure that arrangements are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and NICE recommended treatment for Alzheimer’s disease in England as soon as possible. NICE’s appraisals of lecanemab and donanemab for treating early Alzheimer's disease is currently underway and, subject to licensing, NICE expects to publish final guidance in summer 2024 as close to licence as possible.
The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia. The Department delivers research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The NIHR has launched several exciting new initiatives to support new dementia research. This includes: investing nearly £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia; investing £9 million to continue funding the Three Schools Dementia Programme, which links public health, primary care and social care via our NIHR research schools; and commissioning a Dementia and Neurodegeneration Policy Research Unit worth £6 million to further boost evidence for policymaking. This work will support research across the country.
The usual practice of NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics or regions. Research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available and funding applications are judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG on Brain Tumours' Inquiry Report entitled Pathway to a Cure, whether her Department is taking steps to attract researchers from other research fields into the field of brain tumour research.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the APPG report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Department is taking actions to help grow capacity for brain cancer research by attracting new researchers from other research fields and developing the community. The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice. Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice.
In May 2018 the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the TJBCM through the NIHR. The £40 million funding will remain available; if we can spend more on the best quality science, we will do.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG on Brain Tumours' Inquiry Report entitled Pathway to a Cure, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the relevant tissue collection infrastructure is in place to conduct high quality brain tumour research.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the APPG report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission reports that over 70% of UK neuro-oncology centres now have biobanking infrastructure in place to collect samples and tissue for research, and that these centres are collaborating to improve tissue collection opportunities via the Tessa Jowell Academy.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to tackle the impact of alcoholism on young people (a) nationally and (b) in Romford constituency.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Alcohol dependence is rare in young people under the age of 18 years old, although they may be drinking problematically. Young people may also experience second-hand harms of parental alcohol dependence.
The most effective and sustainable approach to tackling alcohol dependence in young people is building resilience through giving them a good start in life, the best education possible and keeping them safe, well and happy. Alcohol education is part of the compulsory health education curriculum for all state funded schools, following the introduction of statutory relationships, sex and health education in England in September 2020.
Through the cross-Government Drug Strategy, the Department has allocated £532 million of additional funding through to 2024/25, to support improvements in substance misuse treatment, including facilitating 5,000 more young people into age-appropriate alcohol and drug treatment by 2024/25.
Local authorities can invest their allocation in options from a ‘menu of interventions’, some of which include strengthening the services available to children and families. Local authorities across England indicated Drug Strategy spend for 2022/23 between £2.4 million and £5.6 million on interventions focused on, or that offer support for, families affected by parental substance misuse. Local plans from Havering include developing Hidden Harm provisions within substance misuse services for young people, and enhancing support to carers and children by investing in a Family Practitioner.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 increase the provision of dental spaces for NHS patients in the London Borough of Havering.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are currently working on a Dentistry Recovery Plan, to improve access to dental care across England. It will build upon the first package of reforms agreed in July 2022, which included changes to banding and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity (UDA) value. Our plan will include addressing how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make National Health Service work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.
North East London Integrated Care Board authorised the investment of £3.1 million in respect of additional dental access for its population in August 2023. All practices were offered the opportunity to apply, from which eight practices in Havering took up the offer. As a result an additional 11,800 UDAs have been commissioned.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the fertility treatments available through the NHS as of October 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government published a table of integrated care board commissioning policies for National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilisation in England on 22 July 2023, which is available at the following link:
A general list of treatments available on the NHS is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/infertility/treatment/