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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
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.
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 increase access to support for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
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.
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 reduce the average time families wait to undergo the Child Death Review process.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government published the ‘Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance for England’ in October 2019.
The guidance sets out the different stages that encompass the Child Death Review Process, but does not give a set timescale within which the Child Death Review process must take place and acknowledges that timescales may vary greatly.
The length of time it takes to complete the whole process is dependent on a number of external factors, such as waiting for the final post-mortem report or coroner's inquest to take place.
Whilst there is no further working being undertaken at the moment to help reduce the average time families wait to undergo the Child Death Review process, the guidance advises National Health Service trusts on how they should support, communicate and engage with families following the death of someone in their care.
The National Child Mortality Database publishes data on the length of time between date of death and date of Child Death Overview Panel Review in its annual data release, which is available at the following link:
https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-death-review-data-release-2022/
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 (a) therapies and (b) treatments his Department is funding to treat Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Will Quince
Patients with motor neurone disease (MND) require access to a range of NHS services. Riluzole is the only drug licensed in the UK to slow the progression of MND. Riluzole was recommended by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) in 2001 for the treatment of individuals with the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) form of MND within its licensed indications, which are to extend life or the time to mechanical ventilation for individuals with ALS. NICE is currently evaluating a potential new treatment, Tofersen, for ALS caused by SOD1 gene mutations and, subject to licensing, expects to publish guidance in July 2024.
NHS England commissions the specialised care and treatment that patients with MND may receive from the specialised neurological treatment centres across England. Integrated Care Boards are responsible for the commissioning of the non-specialised elements of treatment and care patients with MND may require. Funding decisions for both the specialised and non-specialised elements of patients’ care are made in line with local needs and priorities.
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 his Department is providing funding to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School to develop a treatment for Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into treatments for motor neurone disease (MND). NIHR does not ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
The Department, via the NIHR is not providing funding to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School to develop a treatment for MND.
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, how much of the £50million ring-fenced funding for Motor-Neurone Disease research (a) has been and (b) is planned to be spent on researching interleukin 2 therapies for that disease.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government has committed to make at least £50 million available for motor neurone disease (MND) research over the next five years, ending in March 2027. In June 2023, the Government set out how £36.5 million of the £50 million pledged to MND research is now allocated to cutting-edge researchers. Research activities funded by the Department via the National Institute for Health and Care Research do not include research on interleukin 2 therapies for MND.
For the remainder of the £50 million, the Government is encouraging all researchers to apply for this funding via open call. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into therapies such as interleukin 2. NIHR does not ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
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, if he will provide a breakdown of how the £50 million funding ring-fenced for research into Motor-Neurone Disease is to be spent.
Answered by Will Quince
Funding for motor neurone disease research has always been available via open competition. In 2021/22, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) spent £3.8 million on MND research, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Medical Research Council (MRC), spent around £10.8 million.
The Government has committed to make at least £50 million available for MND research over the next five years, ending in March 2027. In June 2023, we set out how £36.5 million of the £50 million pledged to MND research is now allocated to cutting-edge researchers.
The £36.5 million package includes, £7m of new research grants allocated by the MRC, including three fellowships and four research grants. £8 million for early phase clinical research for MND, speeding up innovative new treatments for patients through the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres. This is made up of a £4.7 million investment in a collaboration of UK researchers who will take forward an early phase platform trial to screen for drugs which have the potential to be successful in clinical trials. It also includes a further £3.25 million investment to train a new group of MND researchers to support future research and £12.5 million to support the best discovery science at the UK Dementia Research Institute.
In June 2022, a £4.25 million MND collaborative partnership was launched to bring the MND research community together, for leading researchers to collaborate on accelerating delivery of new treatments, with £1 million contribution from Government. NIHR is contributing a further £2 million to the MND Collaborative Partnership led by LifeArc to focus on gathering and analysing existing data on the condition to explore the underlying causes of MND and help develop breakthrough new treatments.
£6 million fund, £3 million from MRC and £3 million from NIHR, for a translational accelerator investment which will connect the UK Dementia Research Institute, the MND collaborative partnership, and the UK Dementias Platform.
To support this work, the Government published a joint NIHR MRC Highlight Notice inviting outstanding researchers across the academic and life science sector to submit applications to an open call. For the remainder of the £50 million, we are encouraging all researchers to apply for this funding via open call.
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 potential merit of funding research into low-dose interleukin 2 treatments for Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into treatments such as low-dose interleukin 2. The NIHR does not ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
The Government is determined to accelerate research to find a cure and develop innovative treatments which will slow or stop motor neurone disease (MND) and improve people’s lives. The Government has committed to make at least £50 million available for MND research over the next five years, ending in March 2027. In 2021/22, NIHR spent £3.8 million on MND research, and UK Research and Innovation, through the Medical Research Council, spent around £10.8 million.
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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the restoration of the nurse’s bursary.
Answered by Will Quince
The Student Loans Company provides the primary funding support package for students in further education. Student loan repayments are unlike commercial loans, with built-in protections, including repayments linked to income and not based on interest rates or the amount borrowed, and with outstanding loan amounts written off after 30 years. Student loans are subsidised by the taxpayer, this is a conscious investment in the skills and people of this country.
In addition to this, eligible nursing students have access to supplementary funding support via the NHS Learning Support Fund, which offers a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per academic year plus additional grants and supports depending on their circumstances.