Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to take steps to implement AI technology that predicts heart attacks years in advance.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Many of the artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that are looking at heart attack prediction are still in research and development. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) carried out an Early Value Assessment (EVA) on Cari-Heart in March 2023. Cari-Heart is a medical device that uses AI to analyse heart computerised tomography (CT) scans, to give clinicians a patient’s personalised risk of heart attack. NICE’s EVA does not recommend Cari-Heart for use in the National Health Service and that it should only be used for research to generate more evidence of its effectiveness at this stage.
Further pilot testing of Cari-Heart in five NHS trusts has started. This will evaluate the effectiveness of the tool as it analyses chest CT scans to help clinicians assess patients’ risk of heart attack.
The Department is funding the AI in Health and Care Award. This has provided £123 million to 86 AI technologies to test and evaluate some of the most promising AI technologies likely to meet the aims set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. A number of these trials include AI technologies that could assist clinicians to treat heart disease. These could generate more evidence of these technologies' effectiveness, which could lead to their rapid adoption in the NHS.
Another trial, which has received a £1.2 million award from the National Institute for Health Research, will test an AI-enabled smart stethoscope in 200 general practices (GPs) across London and Wales. The TRICORDER programme will assess if by providing the tool to GPs this can increase early detection of heart failure and reduce diagnosis through emergency hospital admission.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides for research into motor neurone disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The Government has committed to make at least £50 million available for MND research over the next five years, ending in March 2027. Around three-quarters of the £50 million pledged funding (£36.9 million) has now been allocated to cutting edge researchers by DHSC and DSIT, less than two years since the announcement. For the remainder of the £50 million, we continue to support researchers to apply for funding via the Medical Research Council and NIHR MND highlight notice.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report on Understanding the experiences of unpaid carers of people living with Motor Neurone Disease, published by the Motor Neurone Disease Association in November 2022.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
No assessment has been made on the policy implications following the publication of the report.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.
In 2023/24, £327 million of Better Care funding has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers. This also funds additional advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 ensure that alternatives to elvanse and guanfacine are available for people with ADHD.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including elvanse and guanfacine. Some issues have now been resolved. However, we know that there are currently disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. These issues are expected to resolve by the end of December 2023.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working intensively with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 help ensure that there are adequate supplies of (a) elvanse and (b) guanfacine.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including elvanse and guanfacine. Some issues have now been resolved. However, we know that there are currently disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. These issues are expected to resolve by the end of December 2023.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working intensively with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the average time taken for an individual to receive a mental health (a) assessment and (b) diagnosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No such formal assessment has been made. The demand on National Health Service mental health services has risen significantly as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continue to be felt. The NHS is working to ensure that help is available for people as early as possible.
We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024 compared to 2018/19, to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people can get the mental health support that they need. The Plan also commits to growing the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff in the same period.
NHS England is working towards implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinical review of NHS Access Standards.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 implications for his Department's policies of the Health and Social Care Select Committee report entitled NHS Dentistry, published on 14 July 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The Department is carefully considering the recommendations of the Health and Social Care Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2022–23 on NHS dentistry, published on 14 July 2023. The Government’s response will be submitted in due course.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 support people who have experienced harm as a result of the hormone pregnancy drug Primodos.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
As we announced following the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review, which covered Primodos, our priority is to make medicines and devices safer, and the Government is pursuing a wide range of activity to further this aim.
Our 2021 response to the IMMDS Review and December 2022 update explains the changes that have been put in place since the Review’s report publication, and the further action we will take to implement the recommendations accepted and to improve patient safety. This includes appointing Dr Henrietta Hughes as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner in England to champion patients’ voices in relation to the safety of medicines and medical devices.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) and (b) non-MRgFUS treatments for NHS patients on their [levels of?] wellbeing.
Answered by Will Quince
We have not made a specific assessment. On the National Health Service, transcranial magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy is only recommended for the treatment of medication-refractory essential tremor in patients that are not eligible for deep brain stimulation and within the criteria set out in the NHS’ guidance, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 ensure that individuals experiencing a mental health crisis receive appropriate tailored care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to delivering 100% coverage across the country of age-appropriate mental health crisis-care 24 hours a day, seven days a week via NHS 111 by April 2024. The Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan reiterated this commitment and timescale. Delivering this commitment will enable anyone experiencing mental health crisis to access assessment and, if appropriate, onward referral and treatment at any time of the day by calling NHS 111. Mental health crisis lines are already available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in all areas of the country.
The Department is investing £150 million in mental health urgent and emergency care infrastructure, including £7 million to fund up to 100 new mental health ambulances. The remaining £143 million is funding a range of new and improved facilities, including crisis cafes, crisis houses, urgent mental health assessment and care centres, health-based places of safety and the redesign and refurbishment of some existing suites and facilities including in emergency departments.