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Written Question
Health Services: Full Sutton Prison
Friday 22nd March 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many requests for healthcare treatment for prisoners at HMP Full Sutton were made in each of the last five years; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of healthcare treatment for prisoners at that prison.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Information on the number of individual requests for healthcare services for prisoners at HMP Full Sutton is not collected centrally. Healthcare services for the prison population at HMP Full Sutton are commissioned by NHS England, to ensure they are of an equivalent quality and standard to National Health Service care and treatment provided in the community. The range of services available to all 600 male prisoners at the facility includes general practitioner services, dental services, ophthalmic services, mental health services, and public health services, including substance misuse services.

The frequency and capacity of healthcare sessions commissioned at HMP Full Sutton is informed by the contracting and performance management process. Quarterly quality and performance reports are provided to commissioners, highlighting any service pressures and actions being taken to address workforce or access issues. New provider contracts will come into effect from 1 June 2024, with services being further strengthened to meet the needs of the prisoner population.


Written Question
Cardiovascular Diseases
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she plans to take to help reduce premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning, and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation. These ambitions will support the delivery of the aim to help prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes, and dementia cases by 2029.

To support elective recovery, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to drive up and protect elective activity, including heart disease, ensuring early access to diagnostic tests and treatment.

The NHS Health Check programme is a core component of England's CVD prevention pathway. Over 15 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check every five years, with 1.3 million being delivered a year, preventing an estimated 500 heart attacks and strokes.

The NHS Long Term Plan sets out that by 2028 the proportion of patients accessing cardiac rehabilitation will be amongst the best in Europe, with up to 85% of those eligible accessing care. This will prevent up to 23,000 premature deaths and 50,000 acute admissions over 10 years.


Written Question
Dental Services: Contracts
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains her policy to continue reforms to the 2006 dental contract.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in Faster, simpler, fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, we are working on further reforms to the 2006 contract, in discussion with the dental profession, to properly reflect the care needed by different patients, and more fairly remunerate practices. We expect to develop options for consultation with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards.


Written Question
Hospitals
Friday 2nd February 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will carry out a national survey to help identify potential spare capacity in NHS hospital buildings; if she will publish a list of NHS hospital buildings with potential spare capacity; and if she will provide guidance to NHS trusts to help ensure that hospital facilities are effectively utilised.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the utilisation of their estate. The Government has been clear that it expects NHS organisations to use existing capital budgets and assets to maximum effect.

The NHS publishes the annual Estates Returns Information Collection, which contains detailed information on NHS estates. This includes multiple metrics on how space is utilised, including non-clinical space, empty floor areas, and underused floor areas. Individual NHS trusts are responsible for providing the data for the Estates Returns Information Collection and ensuring the accuracy of their returns.

Departmental officials continue to work closely with NHS England and NHS Property companies to identify any additional policy enablers which may support further improvement in utilisation, this includes the development of integrated care system level infrastructure strategies in 2024.


Written Question
Dental Services
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the recovery plan for NHS dentists; and what interim provision she is making for people unable to obtain NHS dentistry treatment locally.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend, allowing patients the choice of where they would like to receive a course of treatment.

Patients unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance. NHS dentists are now required to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days, to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.

We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan, to be published shortly, which will address how we can significantly improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver NHS care.


Written Question
Health Services: East Yorkshire
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

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 help increase (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in NHS organisations in East Yorkshire constituency.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.

To boost recruitment, the Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching £6.1 billion over the next two years.

By significantly expanding domestic education, training and recruitment, we will have more healthcare professionals working in the NHS. This will include more doctors and nurses alongside an expansion in a range of other professions, including more staff working in new roles.

The Long Term Workforce Plan also builds on the People Plan, setting out how to improve culture and leadership to ensure that up to 130,000 more staff are retained within the NHS over the next 15 years. This includes ensuring staff can work flexibly, have access to health and wellbeing support, and work in a team that is well led. These interventions apply across staff groups and geographical regions.

These recruitment and retention initiatives apply across the country, including in the East Yorkshire constituency.


Written Question
Dental Services
Monday 20th November 2023

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress her Department has made on an NHS Dental Plan; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such a plan on the provision of NHS dental services in (a) Pocklington, (b) Driffield, and (c) Bridlington in the next 12 months.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will be publishing our Dentistry Recovery Plan shortly which will address how we continue to improve access for patients and how we make National Health Service work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care across England.

Since 1 April 2023 responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.


Written Question
Bridlington Hospital
Monday 20th November 2023

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to increase the range of health services at Bridlington Hospital.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning and commissioning healthcare services which meet the reasonable needs of the people for whom they are responsible. ICBs should evaluate the changing needs of their local area and plan new service provision as required.


Written Question
NHS: Motor Vehicles
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

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 potential effectiveness of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a fuel source for NHS vehicles; and what his Department's planned timescale is for (a) assessing the results of its trial on its potential use and (b) publishing its conclusions.

Answered by Will Quince

Unipart Logistics completed a trial of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) on four vehicles for a period of 40 days across February and March 2023. Whilst this found a major reduction of 90% in carbon dioxide impact, the trial also found a 62% increase in fuel costs and highlighted the operational challenge of HVO not being available at fuel retailers. The results, and next steps, are currently being considered.

The National Health Service is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels across its estate and will continue to explore new options and innovations


Written Question
General Practitioners: Overseas Workers
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GPs who have qualified since 2015 and left the NHS to practice overseas.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The Department does not hold the data requested.