Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on funding for (a) the Lobular Moon Shot Project and (b) other research into lobular breast cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests £1.3 billion per year into health research, with more spent on cancer than any other disease group, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). We work closely with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), who are responsible for channelling a large proportion of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s investments in this area. Our officials meet regularly to discuss a wide range of our investments, including into lobular and other breast cancers, to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives. While research to understand the mechanisms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer, is largely funded through UKRI and the MRC, the NIHR invests in translational and implementation research to drive innovations into policy and practice.
Launched in 2023, the Lobular Moonshot Project is a high-level funding proposal and campaign to raise money to support the Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), with whom we meet regularly, to invest in fellowships and projects in lobular breast cancer. We are proud to have invested £29 million in the ICR and Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, again including lobular breast cancer. This is complemented by wider investments into breast cancer research, for example, a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, such as lobular breast cancer. Our support to the NIHR Clinical Research Network has enabled the delivery of 10 further lobular breast-cancer related studies.
Additionally, the NIHR supports breast cancer research funded by research partners in the charity and public sectors through the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network (CRN). Over the last five years, the CRN has supported delivery of 10 lobular breast cancer-related studies conducted by other partners. While the NIHR cannot respond to direct solicitations for funding, instead commissioning on the basis of research excellence, we would welcome more applications from researchers on lobular breast cancer, including from the ICR. The NIHR funds research on cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and care, which saves lives.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to provide support to the Lobular Breast Cancer Project.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests £1.3 billion per year into health research, with more spent on cancer than any other disease group, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). We work closely with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), who are responsible for channelling a large proportion of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s investments in this area. Our officials meet regularly to discuss a wide range of our investments, including into lobular and other breast cancers, to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives. While research to understand the mechanisms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer, is largely funded through UKRI and the MRC, the NIHR invests in translational and implementation research to drive innovations into policy and practice.
Launched in 2023, the Lobular Moonshot Project is a high-level funding proposal and campaign to raise money to support the Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), with whom we meet regularly, to invest in fellowships and projects in lobular breast cancer. We are proud to have invested £29 million in the ICR and Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, again including lobular breast cancer. This is complemented by wider investments into breast cancer research, for example, a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, such as lobular breast cancer. Our support to the NIHR Clinical Research Network has enabled the delivery of 10 further lobular breast-cancer related studies.
Additionally, the NIHR supports breast cancer research funded by research partners in the charity and public sectors through the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network (CRN). Over the last five years, the CRN has supported delivery of 10 lobular breast cancer-related studies conducted by other partners. While the NIHR cannot respond to direct solicitations for funding, instead commissioning on the basis of research excellence, we would welcome more applications from researchers on lobular breast cancer, including from the ICR. The NIHR funds research on cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and care, which saves lives.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been provided for research into (a) lobular breast cancer and (b) other forms of breast cancer in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is proud to invest £1.3 billion per year into health research, with more spent on cancer than any other disease group, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Department officials meet regularly to discuss a wide-range of our investments, including into lobular and other breast cancers, to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives. The NIHR invests in translational and implementation research to drive innovations into policy and practice.
We are proud to have invested £29 million into the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, including lobular breast cancer. This is complemented by wider investments into breast cancer research including, for example, a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, again including lobular breast cancer. Our support to the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network has enabled the delivery of 10 further lobular breast-cancer related studies.
While the NIHR cannot respond to direct solicitations for funding, instead commissioning on the basis of research excellence, we would welcome more applications from researchers on lobular breast cancer, including from the ICR. The NIHR funds research on cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment and care, which saves lives.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the level of stocks of epilepsy medication in south London pharmacies as of 12 April 2024.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a role to play in ensuring that supplies of medicines are available nationally, and in sufficient quantity to meet demand. The Department does not monitor stocks of medicine at a local level, and as such no assessment has been made of the level of stocks of epilepsy medication in South London pharmacies.
The Department has been working intensively with the pharmaceutical industry, National Health Service, and others to address issues with the supply of some epilepsy medications. As a result of our action, some supply issues with Tegretol prolonged-release tablets have been resolved. However, some issues remain, and we are working with suppliers to resolve these as soon as possible by expediting future deliveries, and ensuring that alternative products remain available. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring affected medicines while supply is disrupted. The Department has been engaging with the Epilepsy Society to keep them updated on developments.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to increase supplies of epilepsy medication in south London.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a role to play in ensuring that supplies of medicines are available nationally, and in sufficient quantity to meet demand. The Department does not monitor stocks of medicine at a local level, and as such no assessment has been made of the level of stocks of epilepsy medication in South London pharmacies.
The Department has been working intensively with the pharmaceutical industry, National Health Service, and others to address issues with the supply of some epilepsy medications. As a result of our action, some supply issues with Tegretol prolonged-release tablets have been resolved. However, some issues remain, and we are working with suppliers to resolve these as soon as possible by expediting future deliveries, and ensuring that alternative products remain available. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring affected medicines while supply is disrupted. The Department has been engaging with the Epilepsy Society to keep them updated on developments.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to give patients access to information on stock levels of ADHD medication at high street pharmacies; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving patients access to the Medicines Supply Tool.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 10,558 community pharmacies in England on 29 February 2024, including 405 distance selling pharmacies. These contractors are independent private businesses contracted to provide services within the National Health Service. While the Department does not monitor their stock levels, it does have a role in managing supply at a national level to help ensure stocks are available from manufacturers to meet demand from patients across the country. We are often made aware of supply issues. Thankfully the vast majority can be managed with no impact to patients.
We work with the industry, the NHS, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and others working across the supply chain to manage issues and we provide guidance for health care professionals about medicines that are experiencing supply issues on how to manage patients during a disruption where necessary.
The Medicine Supply Tool is designed to provide information and guidance for healthcare professionals, rather than members of the public. However, a public-facing page on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicine supply is available at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/
Any patient who is worried about the supply of their medication should speak to their clinician, in the first instance.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the availability of information about stock levels of ADHD medication by high street pharmacies; and what steps is she taking to help ensure patients can identify pharmacies with stocks of their prescription.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 10,558 community pharmacies in England on 29 February 2024, including 405 distance selling pharmacies. These contractors are independent private businesses contracted to provide services within the National Health Service. While the Department does not monitor their stock levels, it does have a role in managing supply at a national level to help ensure stocks are available from manufacturers to meet demand from patients across the country. We are often made aware of supply issues. Thankfully the vast majority can be managed with no impact to patients.
We work with the industry, the NHS, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and others working across the supply chain to manage issues and we provide guidance for health care professionals about medicines that are experiencing supply issues on how to manage patients during a disruption where necessary.
The Medicine Supply Tool is designed to provide information and guidance for healthcare professionals, rather than members of the public. However, a public-facing page on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicine supply is available at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd/
Any patient who is worried about the supply of their medication should speak to their clinician, in the first instance.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help resolve supply chain issues for Estradot patches; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on such supplies.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products licensed for supply in the United Kingdom. There have been issues with the supply of a limited number of HRT products, primarily due to very sharp increases in demand, but the supply position has improved considerably over the last year, following intensive work with industry. We have held roundtables, and continue to do so, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists to discuss the challenges they are facing, and what needs to be done to address them.
Intermittent supply issues were affecting estradot patches, which resulted in the use of a Serious Shortage Protocol, to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative brand of estradiol patches where estradot patches were not available. However, the issues have now been resolved and supplies should be available. We are continuing to engage closely with the supplier to monitor the supply position and drive action.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of Estradot patches for women with menopausal symptoms.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products licensed for supply in the United Kingdom. There have been issues with the supply of a limited number of HRT products, primarily due to very sharp increases in demand, but the supply position has improved considerably over the last year, following intensive work with industry. We have held roundtables, and continue to do so, with suppliers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists to discuss the challenges they are facing, and what needs to be done to address them.
Intermittent supply issues were affecting estradot patches, which resulted in the use of a Serious Shortage Protocol, to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative brand of estradiol patches where estradot patches were not available. However, the issues have now been resolved and supplies should be available. We are continuing to engage closely with the supplier to monitor the supply position and drive action.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for cognitive behavioural therapy for women with menopausal symptoms in London.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Improving care and support for menopause is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. It is important that all women experiencing the menopause have access to information and options to enable them to choose the best care to suit them. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines currently recommend that that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be recommended for low mood or anxiety that arises as a result of the menopause.
CBT is offered as part of the NHS Talking Therapies services. The latest data for NHS Talking Therapies in the London region shows that 35,410 females, including trans women, accessed National Health Service funded treatment during the period from October to December 2023. Of these, 91% completing treatment waited less than six weeks for their first appointment, against a target of 75%, and 98% completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks, against a target of 95%. Data is not collected separately for CBT, which is one type of talking therapy. Data is also not collected separately for females with menopausal symptoms. This data is available at the following link: