Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress the Government has made in ensuring that children receive regular dental examinations and treatment.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance published in 2004 recommends that individuals are seen by a dentist at intervals set on the basis of their individual oral health. For children the range is three months to 12 months. The NICE guidance can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg19
NHS England is responsible for ensuring access to National Health Service dental services and treatment.
Latest data published by NHS Digital shows that 7 million children were seen by a dentist in the 12 month period ending 31 December 2018, which equates to 58.6% of the child population.
NHS England has developed two initiatives are directly targeting children’s oral health. NHS England’s Starting Well ’13 areas’ programme is working in 13 high needs areas to reach children most at risk of tooth decay who are not already under the care of a dentist. NHS England has also introduced Starting Well ‘Core’, this aims to reach very young children (aged 0-2) and is championed by the Chief Dental Officer.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 effect on dental health of water fluoride concentration.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Public Health England’s Water Fluoridation Health monitoring report for England 2018 provides the most recent comparative assessment of the effect on dental health of water fluoride concentration.
For example, this report found that if five-year-olds with the most tooth decay drank fluoridated water they would have 28% less tooth decay and be 45 to 68% less likely to need teeth removed in hospital.
The report’s findings are that water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure that reduces inequalities. This report can be viewed at the following link:
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve dental care for the elderly in care homes.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Government welcomes the recent report by the Care Quality Commission ‘Smiling matters: oral health care in care homes’. The Department together with Public Health England, NHS England and Health Education England is carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 raise awareness of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Public Health England (PHE), Health Education England and NHS England continue to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant through programmes such as the NHS Maternity Transformation Programme, PHE’s Start4Life programme and Health Education England’s e-learning tool for health and care staff.
Responsibility for commissioning foetal alcohol spectrum disorder services lies with National Health Service clinical commissioning groups. The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a Quality Standard to help improve diagnosis and care of those affected, based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network work developed in Scotland. This programme of work commenced this year.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that clinical commissioning groups commission services for (a) preventing and (b) diagnosing foetal alcohol spectrum disorders; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Public Health England (PHE), Health Education England and NHS England continue to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant through programmes such as the NHS Maternity Transformation Programme, PHE’s Start4Life programme and Health Education England’s e-learning tool for health and care staff.
Responsibility for commissioning foetal alcohol spectrum disorder services lies with National Health Service clinical commissioning groups. The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a Quality Standard to help improve diagnosis and care of those affected, based on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network work developed in Scotland. This programme of work commenced this year.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access affordability mechanism, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment on the exemption of smaller companies from the rebate scheme.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department analysed the potential effects of the exemptions detailed in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. However, this analysis did not take the form of a published impact assessment, as that formal process is not required for the voluntary agreement.
The exemption from payments for small companies (sales under £5 million) was also part of the previous voluntary scheme; the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. As such, the Department was already familiar with the scope of the small company exemption in advance of agreement on the 2019 Voluntary Scheme. The Department believes that the continuation of exemptions for small companies and the new approach to medium sized companies (£5 million to £25 million) is appropriate as it supports the growth of the life sciences industry through small and medium sized companies.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access affordability mechanism, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment on how the 36-month exemption of new medicines from contributing to the rebate scheme will effect the NHS's drug procurement Bill.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department analysed the potential effects of the exemptions detailed in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. However, this analysis did not take the form of a published impact assessment, as that formal process is not required for the voluntary agreement.
In order to continue to support innovation and access to new medicines, the 2019 Voluntary Scheme includes a 36 month exemption from payments and freedom of pricing for new active substances (NAS). Under the previous 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme that ended on 31 December 2018, NASs also had freedom of pricing and exemption from payments, but instead for the five year duration of that scheme. This means that under the 2019 Voluntary Scheme, payments will be received by the Department once that 36-month exemption has ended, sooner than under the previous Scheme, which will then be reinvested in the National Health Service.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 encourage organ donation.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
NHS Blood and Transplant is the organ and tissue donor organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for matching and allocating donated organs.
NHS Blood and Transplant is currently implementing the UK-wide ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020’ Strategy (2013), which aims to achieve world class performance in organ donation and transplantation. Objectives include to increase the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register to 30 million by 2020; to improve the consent/authorisation rate to 80% by 2020; and to portray donation as a positive step in the grieving process.
While there is an urgent shortage of organs for transplant for people from all backgrounds the problem is particularly acute for black, Asian and minority ethnic patients, who are more likely to need an organ transplant. The Department launched a campaign in July 2018, delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant, with support from the National Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance, to increase donation rates by raising awareness and breaking down barriers to donation within these communities. A toolkit is available at the following link:
In addition, the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent Act) 2019 will be introducing a new system of consent for organ and tissue donation in England, from 2020, to help increase the number of donors. NHS Blood and Transplant will launch a 12-month communication campaign before the law comes into force, to raise awareness of the changes and the options available under the new system.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 improve services for people with autism.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to improving services and support for autistic people. The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to publish a strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England, and to review it periodically. England’s first Cross-Government Adult Autism Strategy, ‘Fulfilling and rewarding lives’, was published in 2010 and in April 2014 the Strategy was updated with the publication of ‘Think Autism’, supported by revised statutory guidance. On 5 December 2018, the Department announced that it was launching a comprehensive review of ‘Think Autism’. This is to ensure the Strategy remains fit for purpose. The Government wants an autism strategy that works for all autistic people, and that is why, working very closely with the Department for Education, we will be extending the strategy to include children.
To inform our review of the autism strategy, on 14 March, we launched a national call for evidence on GOV.UK. We want to hear the views of autistic people, their families and carers, as well as those of professionals. We want to know what is working and where more need to be done to ensure that public services meet the needs of autistic people, their families and carers. Our refreshed cross-Government autism strategy, due to be published later this year, will help to deliver this.