Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to support female kinship carers who care as a result of alcohol misuse.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department for Education has advised that the Government issued statutory guidance in 2011 for local authorities about supporting family and friends providing care for children who cannot live with their parents. The guidance makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. It explains that support, can be provided under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. There is no limit on the level of support, that local authorities can provide. Local authorities are required to publish a policy setting out their approach to promoting and supporting the needs of all children living with family and friends carers, regardless of their legal status.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will he will make it his policy to undertake a public consultation with patients in the north east of England on proposals to change NHS waiting time targets.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The clinically-led review of standards was announced by the Prime Minister in June 2018. The review is considering the appropriateness of operational standards for physical and mental health relating to planned, unplanned urgent or emergency care, as well as cancer. In the interest of patient safety, we are committed to ensuring that any changes to waiting time standards are based on clinical evidence.
The National Health Service Long Term Plan provides a platform upon which innovative models of patient care can and are being developed. In that context, the NHS National Medical Director has been working with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Healthwatch England and many others to consider what matters most to patients, on the clinical issues with the current target regime, and what NHS staff believe will help them provide the best quality care for patients.
The review will report its interim findings in the spring of 2019, after which any recommended changes arising from the Clinical Standards Review will be carefully tested across the NHS and be subject to a rigorous approach before they are implemented. Any changes should, and will, only seek to further strengthen current operational standards.
Any changes to the NHS Constitution will be consulted on as is legally required. NHS waiting time targets are national standards and apply to all regions of the NHS.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the accessibility of services for treating lymphoedema in (a) the North East and (b) England.
Answered by Steve Brine
No specific assessment of the availability of lymphoedema services has been made. The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is a local matter.
People with lymphoedema can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care services. A range of guidance is available for the diagnosis, treatment and care for people with lymphoedema. This includes an international consensus document on best practice and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Further information can be found at the following links:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg588
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve early diagnosis of lymphoedema.
Answered by Steve Brine
No specific assessment of the availability of lymphoedema services has been made. The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is a local matter.
People with lymphoedema can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care services. A range of guidance is available for the diagnosis, treatment and care for people with lymphoedema. This includes an international consensus document on best practice and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Further information can be found at the following links:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg588
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
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 improve the outcomes of pancreatic cancer diagnoses in line with the NHS England 2015 cancer strategy.
Answered by Steve Brine
The 2015 cancer strategy set ambitions for higher survival and improved patient experience and quality of life for all cancer patients, including pancreatic cancer patients. The NHS Long Term Plan takes forward those ambitions, stating that by 2028 three in four cancers will be diagnosed at an early stage and 55,000 more people will survive their cancer for five years or more.
Over the last two years, NHS England have allocated over £200 million funding through their Cancer Alliances for earlier diagnosis and personalised care. In addition, £130 million funding has been invested in over 80 new or replacement linear accelerators in the modernisation of radiotherapy services.
NHS England will shortly be introducing a Faster Diagnostic Standard of 28 days for all cancer patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, which when taken together with the 62-day referral to treatment standard, will mean that all patients should expect to start their treatment within 34 days of diagnosis. This is a maximum, and trusts should continue to treat patients more quickly particularly where there is a strong clinical need.