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Written Question
Asthma: Prescriptions
Thursday 27th June 2019

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of asthma sufferers that are unable to access medication as a result of the cost of prescription charges.

Answered by Seema Kennedy

The Department has made no estimate. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions for which someone with asthma may qualify.

To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.


Written Question
Asthma: Prescriptions
Monday 24th June 2019

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

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 potential public health benefits of including asthma as a medical exemption from prescription charges.

Answered by Seema Kennedy

The Department has made no assessment. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions for which someone with asthma may qualify.

To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.


Written Question
Eating Disorders
Monday 24th June 2019

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

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 ensure the adequacy of funding for the provision of NHS early intervention services for adult sufferers of eating disorders.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

It is vital that everyone with an eating disorder can access quick, specialist help when necessary. The Government set up the first ever waiting time targets to improve access to eating disorder services for children and young people, supported by £30 million a year to develop 70 new or extended community eating disorder services across the country.

We are making good progress towards the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time target, with January to March 2019 data showing 80.6% of young people started treatment for an urgent case within one week and 82.4% of young people started treatment for a routine case within four weeks against a target of 95% by 2020/21.

The NHS Long Term Plan committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. This investment will transform and expand services for people with mental health conditions, including eating disorders, building on our current targets.

The Long Term Plan also commits to investing in the development of services for adults with mental health conditions including eating disorders and testing four-week waiting times for adults and older adults’ community mental health teams with selected local areas.


Written Question
Eating Disorders
Monday 24th June 2019

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funding his Department plans to allocate to the NHS to ensure the commencement of the NHS pilot of a four-week waiting time target for adult eating disorder treatment.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

The NHS Long Term Plan committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24. This investment will transform and expand services for people with mental health conditions, including eating disorders, building on our current targets.

Within the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions, the Clinical Review of NHS Access Standards aims to “test four-week waiting times for adult and older adult community mental health teams, with selected local areas”. The waiting times pilot will be funded from the additional commitment made in the NHS Long Term Plan. More information will be available when the National Implementation Plan is published.


Written Question
Steroid Drugs
Thursday 20th June 2019

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of supply for steroid treatments in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Answered by Stephen Hammond

The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.

The Government fully understands that maintaining access to steroid treatments is vitally important to many people in this country. We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to carefully review the implications of the extension to the Article 50 period until 31 October at the latest, before sharing further guidance with industry at the earliest opportunity.

On 26 April we wrote to suppliers advising that, until further guidance is provided, all no-deal measures (such as stockpiles, additional buffer stocks, etc) should remain in place but on hold.


Written Question
Firearms: Licensing
Thursday 8th March 2018

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of GPs who are co-operating with the system of placing a marker on the medical notes of a person who has shotgun and firearm certificates.

Answered by Steve Brine

The Department does not hold this information. The system is run by the Home Office.


Written Question
Firearms: Licensing
Thursday 8th March 2018

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of charges that GPs pass on to applicants for medical reports required for new or renewed shotgun and firearms certificates.

Answered by Steve Brine

The Department has made no assessment on this issue.


Written Question
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Friday 3rd February 2017

Asked by: Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the Government is issuing European Health Insurance cards with expiry dates later than 31 March 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by David Mowat

As the Prime Minister stated on 20 July 2016, as long as we are a member of the European Union we will respect the rights and obligations of EU membership, therefore the current arrangements for European Health Insurance Cards remain in place. Officials in both the Department of Health and the Department for Exiting the European Union are considering the position and options available to us with the aim of achieving the best outcome for the UK health system and for the United Kingdom as a whole.

We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance, including discussions relating to the European Health Insurance Card.