Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what meetings Ministers of his Department had with (a) disability representative groups and (b) private sector organisations between July 2013 and February 2015.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
DWP Ministers meet regularly with external organisations in relation to the Department’s work and welfare reform. Details of meetings with external organisations up to and including March 2014 are published by the Cabinet Office as part of the Government’s commitment to transparency, and these details are available at:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/82fd6446-aa45-4032-9eae-2524a66d8b6b
Information from the remainder of 2014 to February 2015 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to support hospital trusts in London to deliver better experience of care for cancer patients; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Cancer patients are increasingly positive about their care, with 89% rating it as excellent or very good, and this comes as the National Health Service treats more patients for cancer than ever before. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results in 2014 show in over half the questions asked, compared to the 2010 survey, patients reporting positively on areas, including feeling they were given enough information, being offered a range of treatment options and being treated with respect and dignity. Where they are telling us we need to do better it is important that swift action is taken and NHS trusts and commissioners must reflect on their results and take action as appropriate.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality and Macmillan Cancer Support to ensure that improvement work is supported by spreading good practice across hospitals providing care in a drive to reduce national variation in patients’ experience of care and raise overall standards, including in London. This includes the experience of care for black and minority ethnic (BME) patients and vulnerable groups.
The Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group, at its January meeting, will discuss priorities for improvement in cancer patient experience, including for BME patients.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to improve the experience of cancer patients from ethnic minorities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Cancer patients are increasingly positive about their care, with 89% rating it as excellent or very good, and this comes as the National Health Service treats more patients for cancer than ever before. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results in 2014 show in over half the questions asked, compared to the 2010 survey, patients reporting positively on areas, including feeling they were given enough information, being offered a range of treatment options and being treated with respect and dignity. Where they are telling us we need to do better it is important that swift action is taken and NHS trusts and commissioners must reflect on their results and take action as appropriate.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality and Macmillan Cancer Support to ensure that improvement work is supported by spreading good practice across hospitals providing care in a drive to reduce national variation in patients’ experience of care and raise overall standards, including in London. This includes the experience of care for black and minority ethnic (BME) patients and vulnerable groups.
The Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group, at its January meeting, will discuss priorities for improvement in cancer patient experience, including for BME patients.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) rheumatoid arthritis, (c) motor neurone disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) Parkinson's disease have been (i) placed in the support group, (ii) placed in the work-related activity group and (iii) found fit for work since 2008; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is shown in the table below.
Outcomes of initial and repeat Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessments and Incapacity Benefits Reassessments (IBR) by disease code: October 2008 – September 2013
|
| Cystic Fibrosis | Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Parkinson’s Disease | Multiple Sclerosis | Other Rheumatoid Arthritis |
Initial claim | SG | 600 | 900 | 1,100 | 5,200 | 2,100 |
WRAG | 100 | 100 | 700 | 2,500 | 3,100 | |
FFW | 100 | - | 500 | 1,600 | 3,500 | |
Repeat claim | SG | 400 | 200 | 900 | 5,700 | 3,200 |
WRAG | 100 | - | 500 | 2,100 | 3,600 | |
FFW | - | - | 100 | 300 | 1,000 | |
IBR claim | SG | 500 | 200 | 1,100 | 13,400 | 5,000 |
WRAG | 100 | - | 300 | 2,500 | 4,900 | |
FFW | - | - | - | 300 | 1,100 |
Source: Data in the tables above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “-“denotes nil or under 50.
2. SG – Support Group
WRAG – Work Related Activity Group
FWW – Fit For Work
3. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker’s decision is not yet available.
4. Motor neurone disease is shown in the table as 'Spinal muscular atrophy'.
5. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead.
6. The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants was rolled out nationally from April 2011.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants with (a) rhumatoid arthritis, (b) cystic fibrosis, (c) multiple sclerosis, (d) motor neurone disease and (e) Parkinson's disease have undergone multiple work capability assessments on a single claim; and what proportion each of these comprise of the claimaint total.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is shown in the table below.
Number and proportion of repeat functional assessments for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants by disease code: October 2008 – September 2013
| Cystic Fibrosis | Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Parkinson’s Disease | Multiple Sclerosis | Other Rheumatoid Arthritis |
Number of repeat claims where functional assessment has been completed | 500 | 200 | 1,500 | 8,200 | 7,800 |
Proportion of claimant total; where functional assessment has been completed | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.13% | 0.68% | 0.65% |
Source: Data in the table above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Proportions are shown to 2 decimal places.
2. Motor neurone disease is shown in the table as 'Spinal muscular atrophy'.
3. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to his Department is of each work capability assessment carried out by Atos Healthcare (a) on paper and (b) through a face-to-face consultation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information you requested is commercially sensitive and releasing details of the unit cost of each assessment would, or would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of Atos Healthcare.
Asked by: Glenda Jackson (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's child protection legislation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Professor Eileen Munro undertook a wide-ranging independent review of the child protection system in England reporting in 2011. This review looked at the system as a whole, including the adequacy of the child protection legislation. The Department for Education has since clarified the legislation through the revised statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013' so all organisations working with vulnerable children know what the law says they and others must do.
The Department will continue to monitor the current legislation and review options to strengthen the system to keep children safe.