Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a review has been commissioned for completion this year to follow the health and wellbeing needs assessment programme in Immigration Removal Centres which reported in 2015.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Health Needs Assessment process is the responsibility of NHS England regional commissioners. They manage the timetable and format for Health Needs Assessments at Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) in their area. There is an expectation that a full Health Needs Assessment is carried out every three years with an annual refresh which aligns to the NHS England commissioning cycle.
Health Needs Assessments for specific IRCs are put out to tender. A comprehensive Health Needs Assessment would seek input from a variety of organisations and individuals who have experiences of IRCs, usually through a formal stakeholder event, which would include Non-Governmental Organisations.
The 2015 review of the Health Needs Assessment programme established a national baseline for providing services in IRCs. There is no plan to commission a further review.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable and format is for this year's review of the health and wellbeing needs assessment programme in immigration removal centres.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Health Needs Assessment process is the responsibility of NHS England regional commissioners. They manage the timetable and format for Health Needs Assessments at Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) in their area. There is an expectation that a full Health Needs Assessment is carried out every three years with an annual refresh which aligns to the NHS England commissioning cycle.
Health Needs Assessments for specific IRCs are put out to tender. A comprehensive Health Needs Assessment would seek input from a variety of organisations and individuals who have experiences of IRCs, usually through a formal stakeholder event, which would include Non-Governmental Organisations.
The 2015 review of the Health Needs Assessment programme established a national baseline for providing services in IRCs. There is no plan to commission a further review.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NGOs will be able to engage with this year's review of the health and wellbeing needs assessment programme in immigration removal centres.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Health Needs Assessment process is the responsibility of NHS England regional commissioners. They manage the timetable and format for Health Needs Assessments at Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) in their area. There is an expectation that a full Health Needs Assessment is carried out every three years with an annual refresh which aligns to the NHS England commissioning cycle.
Health Needs Assessments for specific IRCs are put out to tender. A comprehensive Health Needs Assessment would seek input from a variety of organisations and individuals who have experiences of IRCs, usually through a formal stakeholder event, which would include Non-Governmental Organisations.
The 2015 review of the Health Needs Assessment programme established a national baseline for providing services in IRCs. There is no plan to commission a further review.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of reducing the age for screening for bowel cancer to people aged 50.
Answered by David Mowat
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers bowel cancer screening every two years to men and women aged 60 to 74, using a self-sampling kit, the Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) test. Anyone over the age of 74 can self refer themselves into the screening programme every two years.
The programme initially offered screening to men and women aged 60 to 69 years old because the risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80% of bowel cancers being diagnosed in people who are aged 60 or over. In the bowel cancer screening pilot, conducted in Coventry and Warwickshire and in Scotland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, over three times more cancers were detected in people aged over 60 than under 60, and people in their 60s were most likely to use a testing kit. In addition, there was not enough endoscopy resource to begin at a wider age range. Men and women aged over 70 have always been able to self-refer for screening every two years if they wish. The programme has now been extended to men and women aged up to 74.
In November 2015, the UK National Screening Committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy, recommended that the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) should replace the currently used FOB test in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Bowel cancer screening using the FIT self-sampling kit will be offered to men and women aged 60 to 74 every two years. Anyone over the age of 74 will still be able to self refer into the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme every two years. FIT is expected to increase screening uptake by around 10% and result in around 200,000 more people a year being tested, potentially saving hundreds of lives. FIT will be implemented from April 2018.
In addition to FOB testing the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is currently rolling out Bowel Scope Screening (BSS), a one off examination which will play a significant role in preventing bowel cancer. Both men and women will be invited for BSS around the time of their 55th birthday. If people are not screened at 55, they can request BSS up to the age of 59. BSS finds and removes any small bowel growths (polyps) that could eventually turn into cancer.
We believe the biggest impact we can have on saving lives from bowel cancer in England is implementing FIT in 2018 and roll-out of BSS to all men and women aged 55.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the food chain of microplastics in the sea.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been monitoring the scientific evidence concerning the occurrence and effects of microplastics in seafood. On the basis of current information, the FSA considers it is unlikely that the presence of the low levels of microplastic particles that have been reported to occur in certain types of seafood would cause harm to consumers. The FSA will continue to monitor and assess emerging information concerning microplastics in food.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what policies his Department has (a) in place and (b) proposed to ensure the safety of patients and practitioners when restraint is used in mental health settings.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The coalition government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that staff in the mental health sector are trained (a) in de-escalation techniques and (b) to administer the safest techniques when physically restraining service users.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The coalition government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions.