Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with pharmaceutical companies on making the Covid vaccine commercially available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government is committed to protecting those most at risk from COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Those eligible receive vaccination for free through the National Health Service. Whether and when a private market for COVID-19 vaccines emerges is a matter for private companies, and the Government has no formal role in this. However, the Government is supportive of the emergence of a private market for COVID-19 vaccines to increase choice for consumers. I have engaged with relevant interested parties who may seek to enter the private market this year, including vaccine manufacturers and pharmacies.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 395 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what steps she is taking to implement the advice of the JCVI on the rollout of the autumn 2023 booster programme to people who are immunocompromised.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
As recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the autumn 2023 COVID-19 vaccination programme includes all those aged between six months and 64 years old in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book. This includes those with immunosuppression.
We continue to work with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to improve immunosuppressed uptake nationally, by understanding drivers of hesitancy, improving the quality of our published data, ensuring it is easy and convenient book and access vaccinations, and by continuing a variety of campaign activities throughout the winter including UKHSA’s ‘get winter strong’ campaign. This was launched on 1 November 2023 and encourages those eligible, specifically the clinically most vulnerable, who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to do so.
NHS England has produced and shared a range of targeted communications materials encouraging people who are immunosuppressed to take up their offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccine, including posters, display screen visuals and social media cards. There are also materials to raise awareness that those who are a household contact of an immunosuppressed person are also eligible for vaccination. These materials have been translated into 28 languages to reach people from a wide range of communities through their native languages and have helped general practices, vaccination centres, pharmacies, and other sites to promote COVID-19 and flu vaccination this autumn/winter.
The Government’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, also wrote to the main charities representing the clinically most vulnerable patient cohorts, to publicise this autumn’s campaign, and to enable them to signpost the offer to their patient communities.
The autumn campaign remains open and all those who are eligible but who have not yet come forward are encouraged to take up their vaccination.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s publication entitled At the crossroads: how a new UK medicines deal can deliver for patients, the NHS and the economy, published on 1 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of that publication's proposals to lower the tax rebate for the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department carefully considers all evidence in the public domain on matters relating to the pricing of medicines in the United Kingdom, including the March report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) has been agreed in principle with ABPI and is set to save the National Health Service £14 billion over 5 years in medicines costs. VPAG introduces a new mechanism to ensure sustainable spending on older medicines where competition hasn’t yet driven down prices, and is an explicitly pro-innovation and pro-competition agreement.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which trusts have been identified by Getting It Right First Time as part of its Further Faster pilot to deliver rapid clinical transformation for patients with (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Further, Faster pilots aim to accelerate service transformation across a range of specialities. Within gastroenterology, the pilots are driving forward interventions such as the introduction of Patient Initiated Follow Up, which can be beneficial for patients with chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.
The following trusts are participating in the pilots as part of Cohort 1:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Barts Health NHS Trust;
- Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust;
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust;
- Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust;
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust;
- Medway NHS Foundation Trust;
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust;
- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust;
- South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust;
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust;
- United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust;
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust; and
- Wye Valley NHS Trust.
The following trusts are participating in the pilots as part of Cohort 2:
- Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust;
- East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust;
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust;
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust;
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust;
- Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust;
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust;
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust;
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust;
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust;
- Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; and
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
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 tackle shortages in the supply of ADHD medicines.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
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 his Department plans to work with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to encourage the inclusion of brain tumour patients in early phase cancer trials.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group 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.
A series of new measures are to be introduced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency with support from partners to make it faster and easier to gain approval and to run clinical trials in the United Kingdom. As part of this, comprehensive new guidance, co-designed with various stakeholder groups, will be introduced to accompany the new legislative measures. This will ensure that UK clinical trials work in partnership with patients and the public and are representative of the diversity of people who may benefit from a medicine if the data generated ultimately lead to regulatory approval. The guidance will outline how to include patients meaningfully into the design and conduct of trials, and how to achieve diversity in trials in a way that is proportionate and achieves the best results.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine; and what guidance his Department has issued on the additional protection provided by additional doses and any related health implications.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, namely hospitalisation and death, arising from COVID-19. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a targeted approach to COVID-19 vaccination focussed on those most vulnerable from COVID-19, including older individuals and individuals with specified existing clinical conditions.
On 8 August 2023, the Government accepted advice from the JCVI on who should be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in the autumn 2023 booster programme. This includes residents in a care home for older adults, all adults aged 65 years old and over, persons aged six months to 64 years old in a clinical risk group, frontline health and social care workers, persons aged 12 to 64 years old who are household contacts and persons aged 16 to 64 years old who are carers. For the autumn 2023 campaign, the JCVI have advised the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA monovalent XBB vaccine for use in individuals from six months old and the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) bivalent Original/Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine for use in individuals aged 12 years old and over. All individuals who are currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination are therefore eligible to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. There are no plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the autumn campaign. The JCVI will continue to review evidence and will provide further advice regarding future vaccination programmes in due course.
The JCVI has advised that further vaccination doses provide additional protection from serious outcomes from COVID-19. Whilst natural immunity alone provides good levels of protection against severe COVID-19, the combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, also known as hybrid immunity, is associated with even higher levels of protection.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2023 to Question 117873 on Mortality Rates, whether a detailed assessment is now available on factors that contributed to ONS data showing that excess deaths in England and Wales were higher than the five-year average in September, October and November 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
A detailed assessment is not available.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to research into treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in children in each of the past 10 years.
Answered by Will Quince
As with other Government funders of health research, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by different factors, including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Since 2013, the NIHR has supported delivery in the health and care system for eight DIPG research studies, funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors. NIHR provides infrastructure support to studies taking place in the National Health Service. For example, staff, research nurses, local networks and NHS trusts will work across many studies, to varying degrees. As a result, NIHR cannot provide precise information on expenditure.
In May 2018 the government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. The Government is committed to funding high-quality brain cancer research. The £40 million funding remains available.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of pethidine supplies in April 2023.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of supply issues with pethidine 50 milligram tablets until October 2023. However, alternative oral opioid analgesics remain available and clinicians who wish to continue to prescribe pethidine 50 milligram tablets can access these from specialist importers. Advice has been communicated to National Health Service healthcare professionals via the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. Pethidine injection remains available also.
While health is a devolved matter, we work closely with devolved Governments, suppliers, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other stakeholders to ensure patients continue to have access to the medicines they need.