Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of appeals for public fundraising to finance NHS healthcare and equipment on geographical health inequalities.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not collected centrally. The Department does not set criteria to assess the merits of launching such appeals and no assessment has been made of their effect on geographical health inequalities. We are aware that many people are keen to support the National Health Service through charitable activity, often after they or their family have received good care from their local NHS.
NHS charities are independent of NHS trusts, their funds and assets are not Exchequer funds, and are held for the beneficiaries of the charity only. Funds donated to the NHS must therefore be managed separately from an NHS body’s own monies.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria his Department has in place to assess the merits of launching appeals for public fundraising for NHS services and equipment.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not collected centrally. The Department does not set criteria to assess the merits of launching such appeals and no assessment has been made of their effect on geographical health inequalities. We are aware that many people are keen to support the National Health Service through charitable activity, often after they or their family have received good care from their local NHS.
NHS charities are independent of NHS trusts, their funds and assets are not Exchequer funds, and are held for the beneficiaries of the charity only. Funds donated to the NHS must therefore be managed separately from an NHS body’s own monies.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many appeals for fundraising by the public have been supported by the NHS for (a) NHS equipment and (b) NHS services in the last three years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not collected centrally. The Department does not set criteria to assess the merits of launching such appeals and no assessment has been made of their effect on geographical health inequalities. We are aware that many people are keen to support the National Health Service through charitable activity, often after they or their family have received good care from their local NHS.
NHS charities are independent of NHS trusts, their funds and assets are not Exchequer funds, and are held for the beneficiaries of the charity only. Funds donated to the NHS must therefore be managed separately from an NHS body’s own monies.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed closure of the accident and emergency wing at Darlington Memorial Hospital on mortality rates in that area.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Better Health Programme is part of the Durham, Darlington, Tees, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Sustainability and Transformation Plan.
At this stage no decisions have been made about changes to individual hospitals, and once firm proposals have been agreed, these will need to be subject to public consultation, planned for later this year.
NHS England is working with the local ambulance service to work through issues such as travel time, capacity and demand.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the proposed closure of the accident and emergency wing at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The design and delivery of frontline health services is a matter for the National Health Service to determine locally – clinically led by frontline NHS organisations and clinicians who are closest to the needs of communities and therefore best placed to make decisions in the interests of their patients.
The principles for service change are enshrined in the four reconfiguration tests which state that all local reconfiguration plans should demonstrate: support from commissioners, strong public and patient engagement, clear clinical evidence base and support for patient choice.