Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in Northern Ireland have been awarded compensation for suffering complications from vaginal mesh implants.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Where women have received vaginal mesh implants in Northern Ireland and pursued claims for compensation having suffered complications, such claims would be pursued in Northern Ireland’s judicial system, and as such fall under the jurisdiction of the legal system in Northern Ireland. This question relates to data in respect of claims for compensation for healthcare in Northern Ireland, which is a devolved matter. As such it is respectfully requested that this question be redirected to the Justice Minister for Northern Ireland or the Minister for Health for Northern Ireland, to be handled at a devolved level.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce (a) legal and (b) compensation costs incurred by the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than quadrupled in the last 17 years, and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
Over recent years, the NHS in England has taken significant steps forward in addressing this issue. NHS Resolution, which manages claims against the NHS in England, has implemented the Early Notification scheme to improve maternity safety and support families in a cohort of maternity claims, and has made significant improvements in claim resolution through greater use of alternative dispute resolution and mediation across all claims.
The causes of the overall cost rise are complex and there is no single fix, as costs are likely to be rising because of a range of factors, including higher compensation payments and legal costs, rather than more claims or a decline in patient safety. We recognise that this is an important issue, and ministers are looking at all the drivers of cost, and considering the next steps.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by NHS England entitled Improving the blood culture pathway, published on 29 June 2022, what recent discussions NHS England has had with (a) regional, (b) integrated care system and (c) NHS trust managers on implementing the recommendations of that report.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Improving the blood culture pathway report was published in June 2022, and updated in March 2023. NHS England has been engaging with partner organisations, including integrated care boards, National Health Service regions, patients, industry, academia, regulators, and charities, to drive blood culture improvement and deliver the ambitions within the report, which is available at the following link:
A national audit has been instigated to assess current practice against guidelines for best practice. An analysis of data from the audit is underway, and will inform an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations in the report. The Department will continue to work with NHS England to review what further action needs to be taken.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by NHS England entitled Improving the blood culture pathway, published on 29 June 2022, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the implementation of the recommendations of that report in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Improving the blood culture pathway report was published in June 2022, and updated in March 2023. NHS England has been engaging with partner organisations, including integrated care boards, National Health Service regions, patients, industry, academia, regulators, and charities, to drive blood culture improvement and deliver the ambitions within the report, which is available at the following link:
A national audit has been instigated to assess current practice against guidelines for best practice. An analysis of data from the audit is underway, and will inform an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations in the report. The Department will continue to work with NHS England to review what further action needs to be taken.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by NHS England entitled Improving the blood culture pathway, published on 29 June 2022, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the framework set out in that report.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Improving the blood culture pathway report was published in June 2022, and updated in March 2023. NHS England has been engaging with partner organisations, including integrated care boards, National Health Service regions, patients, industry, academia, regulators, and charities, to drive blood culture improvement and deliver the ambitions within the report, which is available at the following link:
A national audit has been instigated to assess current practice against guidelines for best practice. An analysis of data from the audit is underway, and will inform an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations in the report. The Department will continue to work with NHS England to review what further action needs to be taken.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 recent trends in levels of sustainability of GP practices in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognize that patients are struggling to access general practice (GP), and more must be done to improve the sustainability of the National Health Service both nationally and in rural areas. The Government is committed to fixing the front door to the NHS, which is crucial for its long-term sustainability.
We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring rural areas have the resources to continue serving their patients. To address this, we will increase funding for GPs and primary care, and shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to community-based care. We will also ensure rural areas have the necessary workforce to provide integrated, patient-centered services.
We are committed to training thousands more GPs across the country, including in rural areas, starting with the training places outlined in the NHS’s Long-Term Workforce Plan. This will increase capacity, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.
We are pleased to announce that newly qualified GPs will be included in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment, with additional funding over 2024/25. This is a step in the journey while the Government works with GPs to identify longer term solutions to GP unemployment and sustainability.
Additionally, we have accepted the DDRB recommendations in full and, subject to consultation with the BMA, we will uplift the pay element of the GP contract by 6% on a consolidated basis (an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April); to provide practices with funding to uplift GP partner, salaried GP and other salaried staff pay by 6%.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 minimally invasive cancer therapies are available for patients across the country.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of cancer patients that have had access to minimally invasive cancer therapies in the last year by integrated care board (ICB), is not collected. The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the ICBs are required to put access in place for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.
Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment, and the development of additional capacity where necessary.
During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation. All systems are asked to make progress in transforming pathways of care in their priority areas.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 NICE guidelines on access to minimally invasive cancer therapies is followed.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adoption of new treatments, including minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institution of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and/or commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and integrated care boards are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE.
Where treatments are approved by NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 adequacy of air ambulance response times in rural areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made centrally by the Department. Air ambulance response times are not routinely published by Air Ambulance Charities.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 to help people with care home fees.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Adult social care is devolved across the United Kingdom. In England, the current system of charging for care is based on a long-standing principle of personal responsibility. However, where an individual has assets of less than £23,250, they are entitled to state-funded support with their fees. Those who reside in care homes are also entitled to maintain some of their income, via the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA), after paying for care. The PEA is currently set at £30.15 per week, and allows individuals to purchase personal items that are not part of their care. Individuals can also retain any of their income, or assets, which are disregarded under the Care and Statutory Support guidance.
We have had to announce that the commitment we inherited to introduce charging reform by October 2025 cannot be taken forward. The funding for the reforms was not guaranteed and councils warned that the reforms are now impossible to deliver to previously announced timeframes.