Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet the honourable Member for Dorking and Horley to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would be happy to meet with the Hon. Member to discuss his proposed amendment to the Mental Health Bill. My Private Office will be in touch with him shortly to make the arrangements.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 independent pharmacy closures on (a) local GP capacity, (b) hospital capacity, (c) the healthcare needs of the local community and (d) local pharmacists in need of employment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The impact of any specific pharmacy closure will differ depending on the remaining access to health services in the area. We monitor access carefully and in general, access to pharmacies in England continues to be good, with 80% of people able to reach a pharmacy within a 20 minute-walk and twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. We continue to support those in areas where there are fewer pharmacies through the Pharmacy Access Scheme. Additionally, in rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients and deliver other services remotely.
Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review in the interim. Integrated care boards must give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications to open new pharmacies in their areas.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 (a) increase the capacity of and (b) reduce delays in medical examiner services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. Medical examiner offices are staffed at a trust level and arrangements at each office should reflect local health priorities and the needs of communities. NHS England has published guidance which outlines principles for medical examiner offices and advice on how to provide flexible and sustainable cover during busy periods
Early data since the introduction of the reforms indicated the median time taken to register a death appeared to have risen by one day, from seven days to eight days prior to Christmas. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. The average time taken to register increased further over the Christmas weeks, but this was expected given increases are observed during this period every year; the average has subsequently decreased.
The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days, though there can be variation at a local level. It is important to note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September 2024, and this makes direct ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.
Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something the Department will continue to monitor with NHS England.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 increase the number of GP positions in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.
The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.
We have also announced an £889 million uplift to the GP contract in 2025/26, which will support practices to increase capacity. Changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, including ARRS adjustments and other important reforms, will be confirmed following consultation with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association before April 2025.
The data requested on the number of unemployed and underemployed qualified GPs is not held centrally.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of qualified GPs who are (a) unemployed and (b) underemployed.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.
The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.
We have also announced an £889 million uplift to the GP contract in 2025/26, which will support practices to increase capacity. Changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, including ARRS adjustments and other important reforms, will be confirmed following consultation with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association before April 2025.
The data requested on the number of unemployed and underemployed qualified GPs is not held centrally.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason British medical graduates are not prioritized over international medical graduates for foundation year placements.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England keeps the selection process for foundation training under review to make sure it works well for applicants and for building a sustainable workforce to provide the best possible care for patients.
We are committed to ensuring that the number of medical foundation training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable, nurtures homegrown talent and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. However, the Government is also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS.
In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 20 January 2025 to Question 24011 on Coronavirus: Disease Control, when he plans to update the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and Health Technical Memoranda guidelines to ensure (a) recognition of the role of airborne transmission of SARS-Cov-2 and (b) appropriate guidance on (i) the use of FFP3 masks, (ii) improved standards of ventilation and air filter devices in (A) clinical and (B) non-clinical healthcare settings and (iii) other measures to limit airborne transmission of (1) Covid-19 and (2) other respiratory viruses; and if he will take steps to ensure the distribution of those guidelines to all employers and providers of healthcare workers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) provides adaptable guidance to support local decision-making. Healthcare organisations are responsible for conducting dynamic risk assessments to determine when enhanced infection control measures, such as the use of FFP3 masks, are necessary. These assessments take into account factors such as ventilation quality, local infection prevalence and specific care environments.
Should new evidence emerge that warrants updates, the guidance will be reviewed and revised accordingly by NHS England and UKHSA to ensure the highest standards of infection prevention and control are maintained across healthcare settings. Any updates will be disseminated appropriately to healthcare employers and providers to support consistent implementation
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 28 November 2024 to Question 13066 on Prostate Cancer: Screening, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of laboratories not testing samples within 16 hours on prostate specific antigen testing accuracy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment on the potential impact of laboratories not testing samples within 16 hours on prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing accuracy.
All pathology services in England are expected to implement the recommendation issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, that PSA testing specimens must reach the laboratory within 16 hours for the serum to be separated.
This guidance is in place to ensure that PSA test results are of the highest possible accuracy and validity in supporting the early detection of prostate cancer, particularly in ensuring cases do not go undetected.
All pathology services in England are also expected to maintain international standards for laboratory quality, certified through the UK Accreditation Service.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the eligibility criteria for people over 65 who did not receive the shingles vaccine to allow for retrospective vaccination.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The shingles vaccination was originally routinely offered as part of the national immunisation programme to those aged 70 years old, using the Zostavax vaccine. In 2019, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that the programme should be changed to offer the Shingrix vaccine routinely at 60 years of age, that those aged between 60 to 70 years old should also be offered the vaccine, and that individuals would require two doses of Shingrix to complete the course.
Based on JCVI’s advice, the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England decided that the programme would be implemented in phases. Phase 1 would be between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2028, for those who reach 65 or 70 years old, who would be called in on or after their 65th or 70th birthday. Phase 2 would be from the 1 September 2028 to 31 August 2033, for those who reach age 60 or 65 years, who would be called in on or after their 60th or 65th birthday. From 1 September 2033 onwards, vaccination will be routinely offered to those turning 60 years old, on or after their 60th birthday.
This programme change was implemented in September 2023 and is in line with the expert advice that the Government received.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 tackle inequalities in NHS (a) care and (b) funding for patients living near county borders.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Since June 2022, 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) across England have been responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services to meet the needs of their respective populations, reflecting the diversity of the needs within these populations. The local ICB is therefore responsible for ensuring that NHS services are accessible in their area.
NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to ICBs. This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA).
The ACRA endorsed the introduction of a new community services formula, that they believe will better recognise needs for much older populations with higher needs for certain community services, which on average tend to be in some rural, coastal, and remote areas.
Work is also underway across the Department and with NHS England and the regional Directors of Public Health to develop approaches to address regional health inequalities. In line with the Government’s Health Mission, the Department’s goal is to create a more equitable healthcare system that leaves no person or community behind.