Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will arrange for the Chief Executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service to send a reply to the hon. Member for Walsall North to his letter of 9 May 2016; and if he will ascertain for what reason there was no acknowledgment or substantive reply to that letter.
Answered by Ben Gummer
This information is not available centrally. This information may be obtained from West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Sir Graham Meldrum, Chair of the Trust, informing him of the MP’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to reply to the letter of 4 April 2016 from the hon. Member for Walsall North regarding the Manor Hospital, Walsall.
Answered by Ben Gummer
I responded to the hon. Member’s letter of 4 April on 29 April.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to urgently consult with medical authorities on ensuring a meningitis B vaccine is provided to all young children; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
National immunisation programmes are introduced on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters. JCVI’s recommendations are based on a comprehensive and careful review of a wide range of evidence including information from medical experts.
JCVI reviewed the available evidence on meningitis B vaccine and recommended a national Meningococcal B (MenB) immunisation programme for infants. The MenB vaccine is first offered to babies at 2 months of age, with further doses offered when they reach 4 and 12 months of age.
MenB was introduced into the NHS programme in September 2015. JCVI keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it becomes available. If JCVI provides further advice about the programme, we will consider this.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department last consulted medical authorities on the potential merits of making the meningitis B vaccine available on the NHS for all children; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
National immunisation programmes are introduced on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters. JCVI’s recommendations are based on a comprehensive and careful review of a wide range of evidence including information from medical experts.
JCVI reviewed the available evidence on meningitis B vaccine and recommended a national Meningococcal B (MenB) immunisation programme for infants. The MenB vaccine is first offered to babies at 2 months of age, with further doses offered when they reach 4 and 12 months of age.
MenB was introduced into the NHS programme in September 2015. JCVI keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it becomes available. If JCVI provides further advice about the programme, we will consider this.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to meet Mr and Mrs Timmins to discuss the death in 2013 of their son from meningitis B and the future provision of a vaccine for that disease on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Meningococcal B (MenB) disease is a devastating disease which can have tragic consequences. We understand that in March 2014 Mr and Mrs Timmins met consultants at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust to discuss their son’s care following his tragic death in December 2013.
In September 2015, we became the first country in the world to offer a national and publicly funded MenB immunisation programme using the Bexsero vaccine to protect infants. The programme follows the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the independent, expert body which advises Government on all immunisation matters. Infants are vaccinated at two months of age, with further doses offered when they reach four and 12 months of age, thereby protecting groups with the highest risk.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will arrange for a reply to be sent to the letter concerning a constituent sent by the hon Member for Walsall North to the Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group on 7 July 2014, which was sent on to NHS England Patient Experience Team in West Bromwich; and if he will inquire into the reasons for the time taken to send a substantive reply to that letter.
Answered by Jane Ellison
NHS England has advised a reply to the hon Member’s letter of 7 July 2014 was issued on the 8 September 2014.
NHS England has also advised the NHS Central Midlands Commissioning Support Unit has sought consent from the hon Member’s constituent to investigate the concerns regarding the level of care received; they are awaiting a response.