Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on (a) Uber for Business and (b) other Uber transactions since 28 October 2016.
Answered by David Mowat
The Department can confirm following a detailed search of its Business Management Services database, that “Uber for Business” and “Uber” are not a registered supplier and consequently hold no records of any contracts held with this company.
Departmental staff travelling on official business may claim reimbursement for taxi journeys. Whilst we can identify the cost of these journeys the name of the provider is not recorded and so we would be unable to supply an expenditure figure specifically for Uber. All staff expense claims must be approved by an appropriate (more senior) approver and staff are required to submit receipts to justify their expenditure which would, in most cases, identify the supplier. However, it would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain this information through the examination of these receipts.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the optimum length of contracts for the provision of GP services by clinical commissioning groups in terms of (a) raising health levels at a primary care level, (b) ensuring value for money for the taxpayer and (c) determining that investment in primary care services is ensured; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Mowat
The Department has not made an assessment of the optimum length of contracts.
It is for local commissioners to decide determine the best length of core primary care services commissioned under Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts and additional non-primary care services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups using the NHS Standard Contract. This is because different levels will be appropriate depending on the local situation.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of Type (a) 1 and (b) 2 diabetes among the population of Hartlepool constituency; and what steps he is taking to (i) manage and (ii) reduce such conditions.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Diagnosed diabetes prevalence in England is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and represents all patients aged 17 and over who have been diagnosed with diabetes and included on general practice (GP) registers. Data are available by GP practices, clinical commissioning group (CCG) and for England.
Table: Estimated number of people with diabetes in Hartlepool
2014-15 | Number | Prevalence |
Hartlepool | 4,838 | 6.3% |
Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework 2014-15. NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre. All rights reserved.
Notes:
This Government is working hard to improve outcomes and quality of life for those already living with diabetes and those who will develop it in the coming years.
Preventing type 2 diabetes is a key priority. Delivery of a national diabetes prevention programme is a manifesto commitment and alongside this the mandate to the National Health Service includes goals on diabetes prevention. Healthier You: the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) is the first type 2 diabetes prevention programme of its kind to be delivered at scale, nationwide. By 2020, the NDPP will be made available to up to 100,000 people at risk of diabetes each year across England. Those referred will get tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk including education on healthy eating and lifestyle and bespoke physical exercise programmes.
One of our key goals in the mandate to the NHS is a measurable reduction in variation in the management and care of people with the condition within the lifetime of this Parliament. Funding has been secured through the spending review to help achieve this and NHS England is developing a programme to ensure that those CCGs which need extra investment in this area, accompanied by sound plans for delivery, receive it.
In addition, the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework will play a key role in delivering this as it contains two recognised evidence based measures of whether patients with diabetes are being supported to successfully manage their condition (achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets and participation in structured education programmes).
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve recruitment and retention of embryologists in the NHS in (a) England and (b) the North East.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Individual healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care to their patients, including embryology services.
Health Education England (HEE) was established in 2012 to ensure the National Health Service has access to the right numbers of staff, at the right time and with the right skills. In doing so, HEE works with key external stakeholders to develop its National Workforce Plan for England which sets out the number of training places it will commission in the year ahead to meet future local need.
HEE will continue to work with its 13 Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient healthcare scientists, including embryologists, being trained to meet the future needs of patients.
Currently HEE has 28 reproductive scientists in training (which includes embryology) and are planning a further 11 to start in 2016/17. It takes three years to train a reproductive scientist.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have advised that it is not aware of any issues concerning the availability of embryologists in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of difficulties in recruiting embryologists in (a) England and (b) the North East.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Individual healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care to their patients, including embryology services.
Health Education England (HEE) was established in 2012 to ensure the National Health Service has access to the right numbers of staff, at the right time and with the right skills. In doing so, HEE works with key external stakeholders to develop its National Workforce Plan for England which sets out the number of training places it will commission in the year ahead to meet future local need.
HEE will continue to work with its 13 Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient healthcare scientists, including embryologists, being trained to meet the future needs of patients.
Currently HEE has 28 reproductive scientists in training (which includes embryology) and are planning a further 11 to start in 2016/17. It takes three years to train a reproductive scientist.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have advised that it is not aware of any issues concerning the availability of embryologists in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines are provided to broadcasters on the advertising of e-cigarettes on television; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Advertising Standards Authority has published guidance on the advertising of e-cigarettes, which took effect in November 2014. Guidance on advertising e-cigarettes on television can be found in the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (the BCAP code).
E-cigarettes that are licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will continue to be able to be advertised from 20 May 2016, when the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU is implemented in the United Kingdom, and advertising of all other e-cigarettes is no longer permitted on television.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that adequate funding is provided to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to maintain a full range of services during the winter period.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group received an additional £1,994,000 in its baseline in 2015/16 with the specific purpose of ensuring resilience throughout the year, of this funding around two-thirds was allocated to North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust.