Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the NHS Find a dentist website in relation to information on accepting new NHS patients to remove the selectable option of When availability allows and instead replace it with options of either Yes or No.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service dentists are required to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. The NHS.UK website was updated in April 2024 to include the ‘when availability allows’ option to reflect that the availability of appointments may change over time, which is more reflective of the way NHS dentists work.
Integrated care boards can review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure that their websites are up to date.
Patients in England are not registered with an NHS dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when negotiations on the 2024-5 and 2025-6 community pharmacy contractual framework will be agreed.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have available is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible to support them in dispensing medicines to patients and to offer a range of clinical services including Pharmacy First.
We will announce the outcome of the consultation in the usual manner, by letter to contractors, when the consultation has concluded.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to ensure that GPs approach (a) shared care and (b) collaboration with gender identity specialists in the same way as other specialists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not issued guidance relating to shared care agreements. The General Medical Council’s guidance states that general practitioners (GPs) should collaborate with a Gender Dysphoria Clinic (GDC) to provide effective and timely treatment for patients, including prescribing medicines on the recommendation of an experienced gender specialist, and that it is reasonable for a GP to expect the GDC to provide timely support and advice where necessary.
The Royal College of General Practitioners’ position statement on the role of the GP in transgender healthcare sets out that GPs should “liaise and work with Gender Identity Clinics in the same way as with any other specialist. This includes consideration of prescribing under a shared care agreement”.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that amateur athletes have access to an effective screening programme for cardiac conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019, and concluded that screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:
https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/
Research showed that the current tests are not accurate enough to use in young people without symptoms, and that treatments and interventions to prevent SCD were not based on good scientific evidence.
To stop SCDs in young people, the current consensus is to focus on rapid identification and care of people who are likely to be at risk of SCD, due to a family link or because they have had symptoms, and to train people to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to use defibrillators.
NHS England has published guidance for inherited cardiac conditions which requires services to investigate patients with a previously undiagnosed cardiac disease, suggestive symptoms, or those from families with sudden unexplained deaths. Where a genetic variation is identified, cascade testing is offered to relatives based on risk.
We are aware that the UK NSC has received a submission via its annual call process to consider SCD screening in young people aged 14 to 35 years old engaging in sport. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. Further information on the annual call process is available at the following link:
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all healthcare professionals have adequate training and awareness of endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis. Several measures are in place to raise awareness of endometriosis among clinicians and support diagnosis and care.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024, NICE published updated recommendations on the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis. This is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
Endometriosis is included in the core curriculum for general practitioners, and for obstetricians and gynaecologists. The General Medical Council is introducing the Medical Licensing Assessment for most incoming doctors, including all medical students graduating from academic year 2024/25 and onwards. Within this assessment are several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis. This will encourage a better understanding of endometriosis among doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom.
We will continue to keep opportunities for training and further awareness raising about endometriosis under review.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce ambulance hand over times at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ambulance services experiencing long delays when handing over patients to hospitals is a priority for the National Health Service to address, because it holds up ambulances that could be responding to further 999 calls.
The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospital are working on improving ambulance handover times by supporting patients flow through the health and care system.
To support longer term urgent and emergency care performance, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve ambulance response times in Cornwall.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, including for ambulance response times.
As a first step, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.
Ahead of this winter, NHS England has set out the priorities for the NHS to maintain and improve patient safety and experience, including actions to support patient flow and ensure ambulances are released in a timely way. NHS England’s winter letter, sent to all integrated care boards including those in Cornwall, is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/winter-and-h2-priorities
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the hours lost to handover delays by South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ambulance services experiencing long delays when handing over patients to hospitals is a priority for the National Health Service to address, because it holds up ambulances that could be responding to further 999 calls.
The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospital are working on improving ambulance handover times by supporting patients flow through the health and care system.
To support longer term urgent and emergency care performance, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of attendees who waited 12 hours or more from their time of arrival to be (a) transferred, (b) admitted and (c) discharged from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Emergency Department.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), and achieving the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, which includes that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.
We are also committed to improving accident and emergency waiting times for patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted, transferred, or discharged through increasing bed capacity and improving hospital discharge, both nationally and at the RCHT.
The Government appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September 2024 and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of patients (a) transferred, (b) admitted and (c) discharged within four hours at the Emergency Department in Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT), and achieving the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, which includes that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.
We are also committed to improving accident and emergency waiting times for patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted, transferred, or discharged through increasing bed capacity and improving hospital discharge, both nationally and at the RCHT.
The Government appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September 2024 and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.