Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 representatives of (a) CCGs in the North West of England, (b) NHS England and (c) NHS Improvement on proposals for a local tertiary service for Tourette’s syndrome; and if he will provide an update on the status of those plans.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
There have been no recent discussions. The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The development of the proposed clinical model for a local tertiary service for Tourette’s syndrome in the North West of England is continuing between Alder Hey Hospital and the nine CCGs in Cheshire and Merseyside. Clinical leadership support from NHS England has also been secured. The new Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, which will replace the nine CCGs from 1 July 2022, will determine whether this service is commissioned, depending on factors such as the availability of financials resources.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 Chancellor of the Exchequer on ways to help unpaid carers meet the rising cost of living.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
While we have had no specific discussions, Ministers and officials have regular discussions on a range of issues.
The Government continues to provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and other benefits. Carers in low-income households will benefit from the Means-Tested Benefit Cost of Living Payment. Those living in the same household as the disabled person they care for will benefit from the disability Cost of Living Payment, while families with a pensioner in the household will benefit from the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of Healthy Start voucher users have been (a) successfully contacted about the new digital scheme and (b) transferred to the replacement prepaid card system as of 11 May 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Each household receiving the Healthy Start vouchers who remained eligible was contacted during the transition to the new card service. The total number of households contacted was 248,204. Beneficiaries were not directly transferred from the paper scheme to the digital scheme, as all applicants are required to accept the terms and conditions of the digital scheme before an application can be submitted. As of 11 May 2022, 358,783 households have applied to the digital scheme, of which 243,641 households were previously on the paper voucher scheme.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 reduce the time taken to register online for Healthy Start cards following that scheme's move from paper vouchers to digital cards.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Healthy Start scheme has been digitised to ensure it is easier for families to apply for, receive and use the benefits. Applicants can now complete the online application form and receive a decision in less than five minutes.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many participants are on the Healthy Start scheme in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) the North West as of 11 May 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The following table shows the number of beneficiaries in the Health Start Scheme as of 2 May 2022, the most recent information available. Information is not held at constituency level, therefore data for the local authority area has been provided.
St Helens local authority | 1,654 |
Liverpool City Region | 13,058 |
North West | 53,963 |
Source: NHS Business Service Authority
Notes:
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 proportion of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales who see a specialist to help treat neurological conditions.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No specific assessment has been made. Data on the number of inmates in the prison estate in England who see a specialist for neurological conditions is not held centrally. Information on the provision of healthcare in Wales is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) number and (b) proportion of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales have a history of traumatic brain injury.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No specific estimate has been made. Data on the number of inmates across the prison estate in England with epilepsy, wider neurological conditions, or a history of traumatic brain injury is not collected centrally. Information on health care in Wales is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales with (a) epilepsy and (b) wider neurological conditions.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No specific estimate has been made. Data on the number of inmates across the prison estate in England with epilepsy, wider neurological conditions, or a history of traumatic brain injury is not collected centrally. Information on health care in Wales is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 (a) diagnostic processes and (b) subsequent support for people with Tourette's syndrome; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The majority of services for people with Tourette’s syndrome are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are best placed to plan the provision of services subject to local prioritisation and funding. Decisions on improving the diagnostic process and support for people with Tourette’s syndrome will vary, with each CCG taking into consideration attributes of its local population to assess the level of need.
Health Education England is increasing the number of trained clinical psychologists, supporting a 60% expansion in the clinical psychology training intake over the past two years. Clinical psychologists are well placed to develop new and improved services and undertake bespoke development to support the needs of patients with Tourette’s syndrome.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 increase NHS dental care provision across (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department is working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement to increase levels of National Health Service dental services. Dental practices are now being asked to deliver at least 65% of contracted units of dental activity between October and December 2021 in order to receive full income support or an increase of 5%. NHS England and NHS Improvement will keep activity thresholds under review in line with potential infection prevention requirement revisions.
Capacity for urgent dental care has been increased in St Helens with an additional 35 urgent care appointments available each week. Across the North West, 164 urgent dental care centres have been maintained to ensure access to urgent dental treatment. Commissioning teams in the North West are working with their local dental networks to monitor overall system performance, including dental access and demand figures.