Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps with the Health and Care Professions Council to include psychotherapists on the list of protected titles within the healthcare industry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While there are no current plans to protect the professional title “psychotherapist” in law, the Government keeps professions subject to statutory regulation and the list of protected titles under review. The Government is clear that the statutory regulation of healthcare professionals should only be used where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other ways, such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
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 respiratory disease (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.
More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Accident & Emergency admissions were made for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments requiring urgent medical attention in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on hospital admissions is not available in the format requested. However, an analysis of hospital episodes by diagnoses for 2023/24 is available at the following link:
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the health visitor to resident ratio in Worcestershire; and what steps his Department is taking to increase this provision.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities have responsibility for commissioning public health services for children and young people aged zero to 19 years old. This includes the commissioning of health visiting services.
We recognise the role health visitors play in our commitment to create the healthiest generation of children ever, as families must have the support they need to give their babies and children the best start and the building blocks for a healthy life.
We have therefore committed to strengthen health visiting services nationally. We will ensure we have the staff we need, so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future, with the workforce it needs.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform mental health services so that social support is integrated into treatment plans.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, physical health, psychological, social, cultural, education, housing and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.
As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as provide housing, social support or employment advice to support them to stay well. A key feature of the model is continuity of care whereby the same team will support people with serious mental illnesses throughout all stages of their interaction with services, including transitions between hospital and the community.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
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 potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on palliative care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Bill) Bill continues to be a matter for Parliament and, as the bill progresses, members of Parliament, both Honourable and Right Honourable, will further debate and scrutinise the legislation, and the Government will respect Parliament’s will. An impact assessment is being developed, which will consider relevant impacts of the bill as it stands at the end of Committee Stage, based on the available evidence.
Palliative and end of life care is a crucial part of the health and social care system. Irrespective of any legislation on assisted dying, everyone must be provided with high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of their life. This Government will shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community and we recognise that it is vital to include palliative and end of life care in this shift.
Earlier this month, I met the major palliative and end of life care stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length. I also met NHS England, and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and quality of, palliative and end of life care throughout England.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many asylum seekers have received medical treatment in Bromsgrove constituency in the last two years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due to the way in which the data is held, across multiple agencies, it is not possible to provide a total number of people seeking asylum who have received medical treatment by constituency during the last two years.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
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 adequacy of children’s A&E provision in North Worcestershire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made by the Department. The commissioning of children’s accident and emergency services in North Worcestershire is the responsibility of local National Health Service commissioners, in partnership with providers and in the best interest of their populations.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff are employed in (a) clinical, (b) executive and (c) managerial positions across the NHS; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of surplus (i) managerial and (ii) executive roles.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England. These include staff working in hospital trusts and integrated care systems but excludes staff working for other providers such as in general practice or social care. There is also quarterly data published on staff working in central bodies such as NHS England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), the Human Resources system for the National Health Service. Data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
These statistics show that as of November 2024, there are 736,140 full-time equivalent (FTE) professionally qualified clinical staff employed by NHS trusts and integrated care boards in England. These work alongside a further 412,036 FTE patient facing support staff. There are also 26,751 FTE managers and 13,472 FTE senior managers.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
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 trends in the level of demand for Ozempic on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table, while not reflecting demand, does provide the total number of Ozempic injections that were dispensed under the National Health Service in England, prescribed each year from January 2019 to November 2024:
Year | Number of injections dispensed |
2019 | 111,388 |
2020 | 420,998 |
2021 | 747,205 |
2022 | 1,155,174 |
2023 | 1,174,806 |
2024 | 794,729 |
Total | 4,404,302 |
The Prescription Cost Analysis data release gives items and quantities of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.