Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when hybrid closed loop systems to treat children with Type 1 diabetes will be available on NHS prescription in Somerset.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type one diabetes, which considers their clinical and cost effectiveness.
Should NICE recommend Hybrid Closed Loop and issue eligibility criteria, NHS England will then work with integrated care boards to support meeting their commitments. Guidance indicates that the National Health Service must make sure it is available within the stated period, usually three months.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 support mental health services for children and young people living in rural areas.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations. There are a range of adjustments made in the core ICB allocations formula to account for the fact that the costs of providing health care may vary between rural and urban areas.
We are supporting ICBs to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to investing an additional £2.3 billion a year into mental health services by March 2024. This increased investment will improve access to mental health services, including for people in rural areas. Through the Long Term Plan, by March 2024, 345,000 more children and young people will be able to access National Health Service funded mental health support.
We are continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams to schools and colleges in England. There are 3.4 million pupils/learners who were covered by a Mental Health Support Team in 2022/23, which equates to 35% coverage of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England. We expect there to be approximately 500 Mental Health Support Teams up and running by 2024, covering around 44% of pupils.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 improve access to local NHS dental services for children in (a) England and (b) Somerton and Frome constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
From 1 April 2023 responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population, including for children, has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. NHS England has published an accompanying Assurance Framework which sets out its approach to providing assurance that commissioning functions are carried out safely and effectively by ICBs.
In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’ which sets out how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to NHS dental for patients of all ages, whilst making the National Health Service dental contract more attractive to dental practices. These changes have been implemented, including through regulations that came into effect on 25 November 2022. NHS England is holding further discussions with the British Dental Association and other stakeholders for plans for additional reforms of the NHS Dental System coming shortly.
In circumstances where a guardian or parents are unable to access an urgent dental appointment for their child directly through a NHS dental practice, they are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of dental practices that offered NHS dental services in (a) Somerton and Frome constituency and (b) Somerset in (i) 2019 and (ii) 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The information is not held centrally.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 support parents of children with severe mental health conditions.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We would expect that children and young people’s mental health services would routinely involve parents, carers and families in the care of children and young people with severe mental health conditions as appropriate. The Mental Health Act code of practice states that mental health providers should make efforts to support parents of children who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Our planned reforms to the Mental Health Act will help better ensure that parents are more closely involved in care planning and treatment decisions if their child is detained under the Mental Health Act, with the aim that this facilitates more trusting relationships with the clinical teams and better outcomes for the child.
Additionally, NHS England provides a MindEd portal which has specific content directed at parents, which is available at the following link:
https://www.mindedforfamilies.org.uk/
NHS England has published information for parents and carers of children in contact with children and young people’s mental health services, available at the following link:
The webpage contains information about where to seek advice and support for coping with anything affecting the child’s mental health or wellbeing. It also includes a link to the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ (RCPsych) advice leaflets for parents and carers about a wide range of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. RCPsych’s advice can be found at the following link:
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/parents-and-young-people.
YoungMinds and other mental health charities have produced extensive resources and support for parents.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 tackle cases of neglect in hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Where anyone alleges poor care, neglect or abuse, we expect those providing the service, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other appropriate authorities to take swift action.
CQC is developing a new single assessment framework to be implemented by the end of the calendar year, which will inform its judgements about quality. As part of this, CQC will continue to place importance on safeguarding during its assessments and will assess whether people who use services are able to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect.
Where CQC identifies that a hospice is in breach of a regulation following an inspection, it will use its enforcement powers.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to increase the number of people studying nursing in higher education.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Health Service has launched its fifth consecutive national recruitment campaign ‘We are the NHS’ to inspire people to consider a career in healthcare and increase applications for healthcare courses, including nursing.
The Student Loans Company provides the primary funding support package for students in further education. Student loans are subsidised by the taxpayer, this is a conscious investment in the skills and people of this country. Eligible nursing students also have access to a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per academic year plus additional grants and supports depending on their circumstances.
The Government continues to widen access to nursing careers through blended learning and apprenticeship routes. We now have a complete apprentice pathway for nursing, from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Major Conditions Strategy will tackle waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of diabetes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will cover treatment and prevention for diabetes and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service in coming weeks to identify actions that will have the most impact.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Major Conditions Strategy will tackle waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of arthritis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will cover treatment and prevention for musculoskeletal conditions. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service in the coming weeks to identify actions that will have the most impact.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Major Conditions Strategy will help tackle waiting times for mental health (a) counselling and (b) therapy.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Major Conditions Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. Interventions set out in the Strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system. An interim report will be published in the summer.