Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed 20 per cent fee increase for registrants to the Health and Care Professional Council.
Answered by Will Quince
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is independent from Government and is responsible for setting its registration fees policy. Any changes to its fees are included in rules which must be laid before Parliament.
On 22 September 2022, the HCPC opened a consultation on a proposal to increase the fees it charges registrants and applicants. The HCPC published an online equality impact assessment alongside its consultation, which is due to close on 15 December 2022.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 geographic distribution of secondary care hepatology services in England.
Answered by James Morris
In 2017, Public Health England published ‘The 2nd Atlas of variation in risk factors and healthcare for liver disease in England’, which collated the distribution of liver services by hospital trusts in England. The services were categorised through criteria such as adequate staffing levels and assessed against liver disease hospital admission and population mortality rates.
The Atlas showed variation in levels of current provision of liver disease services as defined by whole time equivalent staffing levels, with 16 district general hospitals meeting the criteria for an adequately staffed acute service. The maps illustrated the need for greater provision of liver services in the deprived areas with the highest rates of liver disease morbidity and mortality.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 June 2022 to Question 15354 on Evusheld, whether his Department has received advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the use of Evusheld.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We are currently considering the advice received.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of recent inflation levels on the NHS pension scheme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The National Health Service Pension Scheme protects the value of pensions in payment by increasing them by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) each April, based on the CPI figure from the previous September. The Scheme also revalues accrued career-average pension benefits by CPI plus 1.5% each year for active members.
A higher rate of revaluation will increase the size of pensions and may therefore increase annual allowance pension tax liability where inflation is increasing. However, when inflation reduces in the subsequent tax year, this may increase the scope for more pension growth before exceeding the annual allowance that year. Most NHS staff build their pension tax-free. Where the annual allowance is breached, it is not required to pay the tax in advance. The Scheme Pays facility allows staff to meet any annual allowance charge from their existing pension.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include provisions in the draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill in response to feedback provided by respondents to the Reforming the Mental Health Act white paper on how the reforms plan to meet the needs of children and young people.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr Virendra Sharma MP) on 13 June 2022 to Question 14460.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Welsh Government on making Evusheld available to immunocompromised people.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 17 March 2022, Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). However, the MHRA highlighted uncertainty over the appropriate dose needed for protection against the Omicron variant. Understanding its efficacy is necessary prior to any procurement or deployment decisions. Officials in the Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce regularly engage with the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 8 June 2022 to Question 1109 on Evusheld, whether his Department has a timeline setting out a date by which they expect to receive advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the use of Evusheld.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While there is no specific timetable, we expect to receive clinical advice shortly.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help promote innovation in dementia diagnosis.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
For many, assessments and diagnoses begin in memory clinics which provide access to a multi-disciplinary team. In 2021, NHS England commissioned resources to support memory services to improve and innovate. These resources include an e-learning course developed by University College London to support memory services to manage a change in practice, ensuring the delivery of a personalised assessment and diagnosis via a blended service model. Leeds Beckett University has also developed a guide to supporting continuous development, improvement and innovation in memory services. These resources where circulated to services and stakeholders in March 2022.
In 2022/23, NHS England will provide funding to support general practitioners in specific areas to pilot approaches to diagnosing dementia for people living with advanced dementia in a care home setting. We will set out plans for dementia in England for the next 10 years later this year, which will include a focus on dementia diagnosis.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on increasing diagnosis rates for dementia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have had no specific discussions as this is a devolved matter.