Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) e-cigarettes, (b) heat-not-burn products and (c) other reduced-risk products to help reduce the prevalence of smoking.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Our assessment is that nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum and patches, as well as vapes, alongside behavioural support from stop smoking services, are the most effective ways to reduce smoking. This assessment is based on the ‘Nicotine vaping in England’ report published in September 2022, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline PH209, ‘Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence’ published in 2021.
The 2022 ‘Nicotine vaping in England’ report also includes a chapter on heated tobacco products. Although there is currently a limited evidence base on the health harms presented by heated tobacco products, it is clear that they do pose harm to users. The Government does not recommend use of these products and encourages users to quit.
There is limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches and their ability to support smoking quit attempts. However, in April this year the Committee on Toxicity published their ‘Statement on the bioavailability of nicotine from the use of oral nicotine pouches and assessment of the potential toxicological risk to users’, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) vapes, (b) nicotine gum, (c) nicotine patches, (d) nicotine pouches and (e) other alternatives to smoking in helping to reduce the prevalence of smoking.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Our assessment is that nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum and patches, as well as vapes, alongside behavioural support from stop smoking services, are the most effective ways to reduce smoking. This assessment is based on the ‘Nicotine vaping in England’ report published in September 2022, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline PH209, ‘Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence’ published in 2021.
The 2022 ‘Nicotine vaping in England’ report also includes a chapter on heated tobacco products. Although there is currently a limited evidence base on the health harms presented by heated tobacco products, it is clear that they do pose harm to users. The Government does not recommend use of these products and encourages users to quit.
There is limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches and their ability to support smoking quit attempts. However, in April this year the Committee on Toxicity published their ‘Statement on the bioavailability of nicotine from the use of oral nicotine pouches and assessment of the potential toxicological risk to users’, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much income from car parking charges for (a) patients and (b) visitors was generated in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Will Quince
Data from the NHS Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) shows that in 2021/22, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s total income from car parking was £2,094,729. Income from patients and visitors was £1,336,317 and income from staff was £758,412.
The income criteria in ERIC includes Service Level Agreements with other National Health Service organisations, parking fines and parking permits.
The Government has committed that all trusts that charge for car parking now provide free parking to in-need groups, which include NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders and parents of children staying overnight in hospital.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much income from car parking for staff was generated in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Will Quince
Data from the NHS Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) shows that in 2021/22, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s total income from car parking was £2,094,729. Income from patients and visitors was £1,336,317 and income from staff was £758,412.
The income criteria in ERIC includes Service Level Agreements with other National Health Service organisations, parking fines and parking permits.
The Government has committed that all trusts that charge for car parking now provide free parking to in-need groups, which include NHS staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders and parents of children staying overnight in hospital.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed by the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent doctors and nurses and health visitors for October 2020 to October 2022, working at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
| October 2020 | October 2021 | October 2022 |
Doctors | 691 | 728 | 745 |
Nurses and Health Visitors | 1,963 | 2,141 | 2,248 |
Source: NHS England Workforce Statistics 2022
Due to the merger of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust earlier in 2020 consistent data can only be given from that point onwards.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were recruited by the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the headcount of doctors and nurses and health visitors that joined active service at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for the last two years.
| October 2020 to 2021 | October 2021 to 2022 |
Doctors (excluding junior doctors) | 65 | 48 |
Nurses and health visitors | 420 | 326 |
Source: NHS England Workforce Statistics 2022
This data includes people returning to active service, such as those returning from maternity leave or career breaks. It is the count of staff who were active in the trust at the end of the period who were not active at the start of the period. Due to the merger of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2020 data can only be given for the last two annual periods. Junior doctors are excluded from the table above as it is common for junior doctors to move between NHS bodies on placements/rotations as part of their training and development. The figures will not include staff joining doctor or nursing grades from other positions within the organisation.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many managers have been appointed in the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust since the end of 2019.
Answered by Will Quince
The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the headcount of managers and senior managers that joined active service at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for the last two years.
| October 2020 to 2021 | October 2021 to 2022 |
Managers | 3 | 5 |
Senior Managers | 0 | 2 |
Source: NHS England Workforce Statistics 2022
Due to the merger of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2020 data can only be given for the last two annual periods.
This data includes people returning to active service, such as those returning from maternity leave or career breaks. It is the count of staff who were active in the trust at the end of the period who were not active at the start of the period. The figures will not include staff joining manager grades from other positions within the organisation.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital investment for (a) changing and (b) improving existing buildings was invested in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Will Quince
£35.9 million in national capital funding was allocated to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2021/22. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust received a total £24,194,000 in 2021/22 towards two hospital upgrade schemes, an Acute Assessment Hub (£7,908,000) and Theatre reprovision scheme (£17,096,000). Schemes involve new builds and changing and improving existing buildings.
The new hospital scheme at Musgrove Park Hospital for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is in Cohort 4 of the New Hospital Programme. Cohort 4 schemes will benefit from knowledge and experience gained from previous builds, as well as standardised designs enabling the best use of digital technology, sustainable buildings, and modern methods of construction.
Up to the end of 2021/22 the New Hospital Programme provided a total of £3.428 million in funding for the scheme. In 2020/21 the Trust received £1.5 million and in 2021/22 the Trust received £1.928 million. With respect to wider capital, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust received £1.7 million from the Targeted Investment Fund for estate works in 2021/22, including Oral Maxillo-Facial, Plastics and Dental Service expansion, and £2.7 million from the same fund for digital initiatives in the same year. In addition to this, the Trust also received £4.1 million for Community Diagnostics Hubs. £1.3 million for miscellaneous capital schemes, e.g. investment in diagnostics and cyber security. In addition to the national funding, the trust received £24.5 million in operational capital in 2021/22.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital investment for new build was invested in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Will Quince
£35.9 million in national capital funding was allocated to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2021/22. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust received a total £24,194,000 in 2021/22 towards two hospital upgrade schemes, an Acute Assessment Hub (£7,908,000) and Theatre reprovision scheme (£17,096,000). Schemes involve new builds and changing and improving existing buildings.
The new hospital scheme at Musgrove Park Hospital for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is in Cohort 4 of the New Hospital Programme. Cohort 4 schemes will benefit from knowledge and experience gained from previous builds, as well as standardised designs enabling the best use of digital technology, sustainable buildings, and modern methods of construction.
Up to the end of 2021/22 the New Hospital Programme provided a total of £3.428 million in funding for the scheme. In 2020/21 the Trust received £1.5 million and in 2021/22 the Trust received £1.928 million. With respect to wider capital, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust received £1.7 million from the Targeted Investment Fund for estate works in 2021/22, including Oral Maxillo-Facial, Plastics and Dental Service expansion, and £2.7 million from the same fund for digital initiatives in the same year. In addition to this, the Trust also received £4.1 million for Community Diagnostics Hubs. £1.3 million for miscellaneous capital schemes, e.g. investment in diagnostics and cyber security. In addition to the national funding, the trust received £24.5 million in operational capital in 2021/22.
Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many maternity support staff were employed by the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent maternity support staff for the last three years working at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
| October 2020 | October 2021 | October 2022 |
Maternity support staff | 59 | 45 | 55 |
Source: NHS England Workforce Statistics 2022
Maternity support staff have been defined as all support staff that work in a ‘maternity services’ and ‘neonatal nursing’ care setting. This includes nursing associates, nursery nurses, nursing assistants/auxiliaries, healthcare assistants and support workers.
Due to the merger of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2020 consistent data can only be given from that point onwards.