Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of written parliamentary questions and correspondence and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service.
The Department's performance in answering written parliamentary questions on time fell during the COVID-19 pandemic and we continue to receive significantly more written questions than any other Government department. In order to improve performance, we have been delivering against our Written Parliamentary Question Recovery Plan and answered 71% of written parliamentary questions from hon. Members on time between May and July 2022.
The Department aims to reply to all correspondence within 20 working days. From May to September 2022, we answered more than 50% of correspondence within 20 working days. This doubled our previous response rate in 2021 and we are committed to making further improvements.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2022 to Question 49105 on Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation, whether he plans to publish the public consultation on the draft legislation aimed at enabling the General Medical Council to regulate physician associates and anaesthesia associates by the end of 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
Yes.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question 7493 on Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation, if she will set out a timetable for bringing forward legislative proposals on the regulation of physician associates and anaesthesia associates; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We plan to publish the public consultation on the draft legislation which will enable the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) in the autumn. Following this consultation, we will finalise the legislation to be laid in the second half of 2023, subject to Parliamentary time. The GMC will then develop and implement its rules and processes for regulating PAs and AAs within 12 months, enabling regulation to commence in the second half of 2024.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that access to accredited European Trauma Courses is available to practising physician associates for free.
Answered by Edward Argar
The NHS Standard Contract states that providers of National Health Service-funded services must ensure all staff have the appropriate qualifications, experience, skills and competencies to perform the duties required. As such, continuous professional development, such as access to accredited European Trauma Courses for physician associates, is a matter for individual employers.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the use of Evusheld following completion of UKHSA testing.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While we expect to receive clinical advice shortly, we are currently unable to confirm a specific timetable.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2022 to Question 1109 on Evusheld, what his planned timetable is for (a) receiving advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the use of Evusheld and (b) procuring that treatment for use within the NHS.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While we expect to receive clinical advice shortly, we are currently unable to confirm a specific timetable.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2022 to Question UIN 7943 on Health Professions: Regulation, whether anaesthesia associates will be included in his plans to regulate physician associates through draft legislation later in 2022.
Answered by Edward Argar
Anaesthesia associates will be included in the draft legislation.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand the spring covid-19 booster vaccine rollout to include people with motor neurone disease who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
Answered by Maggie Throup
During the spring booster vaccination programme, an additional dose is being offered to residents in care homes for older adults, individuals aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed and adults aged 75 years old and over. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) do not currently recommend a further dose for those with motor neurone disease, unless the existing criteria applies.
The JCVI continues to consider the latest available data, particularly in relation to the timing and value of any further doses. On 19 May 2022, the JCVI published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 booster programme. The JCVI advises that a booster dose should be offered to residents in care homes for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those aged 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years old who are in a clinical risk group, such as motor neurone disease.
The JCVI will continue to review the vaccination programme, the definitions of clinical risk groups and the epidemiological situation to inform its final advice. The Government will consider the JCVI's final advice before determining which groups should be included in the autumn COVID-19 booster programme.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward draft legislation to regulate physician associates and anaesthesia associates.
Answered by Edward Argar
We are analysing the responses to the ‘Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public’ consultation and working with stakeholders on the approach to reforming the legal framework for the regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom. We plan to publish the consultation response in due course, setting out further detail on the proposals, including the timing and sequencing of these reforms. Work to bring physician associates into regulation continues and we plan to consult on draft legislation later this year.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public, which closed on 24 March 2021.
Answered by Edward Argar
We are analysing the responses to the ‘Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public’ consultation and working with stakeholders on the approach to reforming the legal framework for the regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom. We plan to publish the consultation response in due course, setting out further detail on the proposals, including the timing and sequencing of these reforms. Work to bring physician associates into regulation continues and we plan to consult on draft legislation later this year.