Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for high-quality ME research as the Government has done for dementia and brain cancer.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department for Health and Social Care funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The Government also supports research relating to myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) through the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of the Department for Business, Environment and Industrial Strategy partner organisation, UK Research and Innovation. Both the NIHR and the MRC welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications to the NIHR and the MRC are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
Research into chronic fatigue syndrome CFS/ME is an area of strategic importance for the MRC and the only medical condition for which the MRC has a dedicated Highlight Notice which identifies areas where proposals are particularly encouraged. These include proposals which have a focus on the underpinning mechanisms of ME/CFS, with priority areas including immune dysregulation; pain; improved sub-phenotyping and stratification of ME/CFS; and mechanisms of ME/CFS in children and young people.
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the psychological effect of the Grenfell tower fire on survivors.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Mental health support for people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire has been co-ordinated by West London Clinical Commissioning Group and Central and North West London Foundation Trust with support from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
In response a proactive ‘screen and treat’ programme was established in August to support individuals in the local area potentially affected by the fire. In addition, emotional support is being provided through outreach and intervention provision in the community such as drop-in support, psychological first aid, counselling and support groups which can be accessed by anyone in the local area.
The local health sector is committed to responding to the needs and wishes of the local community. It is aiming to achieve this through continued joint working with other local agencies and community groups, listening to feedback from the community and the development of an agile dynamic service model to respond quickly to changing demands of those affected.
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS Hospital and Foundation Trusts are meeting Principle 3 marker 11 of the NHS and Department of Health, Toolkit for High-Quality Neonatal Services 2009, by providing overnight accommodation for the parents and families of babies receiving neonatal care.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not collected centrally by the Department. However, as part of a review into neonatal critical care, NHS England is currently in the process of collating information on the availability of parent accommodation in hospitals and neonatal units, as an important part of the service specification. NHS England is also currently visiting every trust as part of the Quality Surveillance Team reviews.
The Neonatal Critical Care Review is to make recommendations that will support the delivery of high quality, safe, sustainable and equitable models of neonatal care across England. A draft review report is expected to be presented to NHS England in the upcoming months. The draft report will then be consulted upon before being finalised. The Neonatal Critical Care Review has already set out a range of themes that are to be factored into Local Maternity Systems’ Transformation Plans.
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on signatories of medical consent forms having access to the carbon copy of the form.
Answered by Jane Ellison
It is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention. For consent to be valid it must be given voluntarily by an appropriately informed person who has the capacity to consent to the intervention in question.
It is the responsibility of the doctor undertaking the treatment or investigation to ensure that they (or someone they delegate) obtains valid consent and that the key elements of their discussion with the patient, including any specific requests by the patient, are properly recorded in a person's medical record or in a consent form. This might include a request for a copy of a consent form.
Professional guidance from the General Medical Council Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together available at:
www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/consent_guidance_index.asp
makes clear that doctors should explain the scope of decisions to be made. They should also discuss and agree with the patient how decisions will be made about whether to change the investigation or treatment plan and that doctors must not exceed the scope of the authority given by the patient. Thus changes to a person's consent form after it has been signed, without their knowledge, may invalidate the consent.
Other sources of guidance for healthcare professionals on obtaining consent include the Department's Reference guide to consent for examination or treatment (Second Edition):
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/138296/dh_103653__1_.pdf
and the British Medical Association's consent toolkit:
http://bma.org.uk/practical-support-at-work/ethics/consent
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on medical consent forms being amended after they have been signed.
Answered by Jane Ellison
It is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention. For consent to be valid it must be given voluntarily by an appropriately informed person who has the capacity to consent to the intervention in question.
It is the responsibility of the doctor undertaking the treatment or investigation to ensure that they (or someone they delegate) obtains valid consent and that the key elements of their discussion with the patient, including any specific requests by the patient, are properly recorded in a person's medical record or in a consent form. This might include a request for a copy of a consent form.
Professional guidance from the General Medical Council Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together available at:
www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/consent_guidance_index.asp
makes clear that doctors should explain the scope of decisions to be made. They should also discuss and agree with the patient how decisions will be made about whether to change the investigation or treatment plan and that doctors must not exceed the scope of the authority given by the patient. Thus changes to a person's consent form after it has been signed, without their knowledge, may invalidate the consent.
Other sources of guidance for healthcare professionals on obtaining consent include the Department's Reference guide to consent for examination or treatment (Second Edition):
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/138296/dh_103653__1_.pdf
and the British Medical Association's consent toolkit:
http://bma.org.uk/practical-support-at-work/ethics/consent