Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 prevalence of mental health trusts excluding patients in need of community mental health care because they have Huntington’s disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No such assessment has been made. Access to NHS mental health services is based on clinical need, including for patients with Huntington’s disease and organic brain disorders.
The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people, including those with Huntington’s disease and organic brain disorders, can get the NHS-funded mental health support that they need.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 prevalence of mental health trusts excluding patients in need of community mental health care because they have organic brain disorders.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No such assessment has been made. Access to NHS mental health services is based on clinical need, including for patients with Huntington’s disease and organic brain disorders.
The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people, including those with Huntington’s disease and organic brain disorders, can get the NHS-funded mental health support that they need.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards in England have a dedicated care co-ordinator for Huntington's Disease.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held. NHS England specialised commissioning does not centrally commission dedicated care co-ordinators for Huntington’s Disease within integrated care boards.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 impact of rising energy bills on the hospices, including their financial stability.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. Following a HM Treasury led review into the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will run from April until March 2024 and continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 merits of Bedrocan cannabis medicines for children suffering from epilepsy.
Answered by Will Quince
Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state, there is insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness to support a population-wide practice recommendation for the use of unlicensed cannabis-based products, including Bedrocan products, for the treatment of adults and children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. NICE also made recommendations for further research to inform future decisions on the routine prescribing and funding of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines on the National Health Service.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has issued two calls for research proposals and a highlight notice on medicinal cannabis. Manufacturers, including those for Bedrocan products, are responsible for generating evidence to support the use of these products and to seek regulatory approval. The Government encourages manufacturers to do so and offers scientific and research advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NIHR.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 proportion of antibiotics dispensed in the UK that are manufactured in (a) the UK, (b) the European Union and (c) elsewhere.
Answered by Will Quince
The data is not held centrally.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a national lung screening programme as recommended by the UK National Screening Committee.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England are determining how a lung screening programme could be established and the recommendation will be considered in due course.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support home care workers using their own vehicles to visit clients with fuel costs.
Answered by Will Quince
Home care workers may be eligible to benefit from Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs), which are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. These rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation.
Employers do not have to use AMAP rates and can instead choose to reimburse more or less, subject to certain tax conditions. Employees who receive less than the advisory rate can claim tax relief on the difference.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the charges levied by agencies for the supply of locum GPs.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have no plans to do so.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will ask NICE to develop specific national guidelines on Huntington’s disease to help ensure patients with that disease have a coordinated care pathway.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a guideline on Huntington’s disease. NHS England is developing a neuropsychiatry service specification which when finalised, will outline the multi-disciplinary approach to caring for patients with complex neurological conditions, including Huntington’s disease, who require specialised assessment and mental health support.