Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir: Developments in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir from June 2016 to April 2018, and General Human Rights Concerns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 14 June 2018, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the recommendations of that report is given serious consideration by the Governments of India and Pakistan.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has taken note of the concerns across Kashmir raised in the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report and his recommendations for both the Governments of India and Pakistan to consider. We encourage all states to cooperate with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and ensure that their domestic laws are in line with international human rights standards.
The FCO is concerned by any allegation of human rights abuse, which much must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. The UK's longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking account of the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to hold a consultation on the proposed state-backed GP indemnity scheme; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is no additional cost incurred to (a) the NHS and (b) GPs of such a scheme; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the development of the proposed scheme maintains an open and competitive Medical Defence Organisation market.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department is developing a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England. This recognises that the rising cost of clinical negligence is a great source of concern for general practitioners (GPs). The state-backed scheme is being designed to provide more affordable and more stable cover for GPs. This involves complex considerations about funding which are being worked through.
We consider that focused engagement with the relevant stakeholders on the emerging policy direction is a more effective way of ensuring that the representations of those affected are taken into account than a public consultation, at this time. The recent indemnity in general practice survey included attitudinal questions to gauge the views of the profession. The Government is working with medical defence organisations, general practice representatives and other key stakeholders in the design of the scheme.
This follows the Department and NHS England’s review into GP indemnity, published July 2016 at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/gp-indemnity-rev-summary.pdf
This set out the evidence for the scale and drivers of indemnity inflation and proposals for ways to address indemnity pressures and underlying factors.
We recognise the value of medical defence organisations to their members and we are working closely with them to understand the impact of the proposed scheme on their business.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the NHS of a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The state backed scheme is being designed to provide more stable, affordable and financially sustainable indemnity cover for general practitioners (GPs). A state backed scheme will enable the Government to have greater overall sight of costs and claims.
The scheme should meet the needs of current and future GPs and offer value for money for taxpayers. This involves complex considerations about funding which are being worked through, and we are working with HM Treasury and NHS England to assess the potential future cost of the scheme. We cannot provide the estimates that result from these assessments as this would prejudice commercial interests.
The Government is working with medical defence organisations, general practice representatives and other key stakeholders in the design of the scheme.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has put in place for the implementation a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In October 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the intention of the Department to develop a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England. This announcement recognised that the rising cost of clinical negligence is a great source of concern for general practitioners (GPs).
Since the announcement, Government has been developing the new scheme, seeking to put in place a more stable and affordable system of indemnity for general practice. The plans announced so far are as follows:
- NHS Resolution will be directed to establish and administer the scheme on behalf of the Secretary of State. This means that NHS Resolution will be given responsibility for the overall administration of the scheme;
- The scheme will include activities delivered under the primary medical care contracts (General Medical Service, Personal Medical Service, Alternative Provider Medical Service). Other professions working under the primary medical care contracts will be included in the scheme. The scheme will also include work delivered under the primary medical care contracts that are delivered in secure environments; and
- The current intention is that the scheme will exclude National Health Service primary care dentistry and private dentistry, private healthcare and community pharmacy and optometry.
We are working closely with the medical defence organisations, NHS England, and representatives of general practice professionals.
In March 2018, the Department commissioned a survey of GPs, nurses and pharmacists in general practice. The survey was designed to help the Department understand current indemnity arrangements within general practice, informing the development of the new state backed scheme.
We are currently analysing the survey results and will provide further details along with the key findings of the GP Indemnity Survey in due course.
We remain fully committed to developing and implementing the scheme from April 2019.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential average saving to GPs which would result from the implementation of a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The state backed scheme is being designed to provide more stable, affordable and financially sustainable indemnity cover for general practitioners (GPs). A state backed scheme will enable the Government to have greater overall sight of costs and claims.
The scheme should meet the needs of current and future GPs and offer value for money for taxpayers. This involves complex considerations about funding which are being worked through, and we are working with HM Treasury and NHS England to assess the potential future cost of the scheme. We cannot provide the estimates that result from these assessments as this would prejudice commercial interests.
The Government is working with medical defence organisations, general practice representatives and other key stakeholders in the design of the scheme.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
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 the potential effect of a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England on the (a) number and (b) value of clinical negligence claims made against (i) GPs and (ii) other members of primary care teams.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department understands that the rising cost of indemnity cover is a great source of concern for general practitioners (GP) and impacts negatively on the GP workforce. We are seeking to put in place a more affordable and more stable system of indemnity for general practice. The state backed indemnity scheme will aim to protect both patients and providers from the consequences of clinical negligence and to meet the changing needs of the National Health Service.
We have not made an assessment of the potential impact of the state scheme on the number and value of clinical negligence claims, but more generally, the Government is working to produce a cross-Government strategy to tackle the rising costs of clinical negligence, as challenged by the National Audit Office in their report, ‘Managing the costs of clinical negligence in trusts’, published September 2017.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding his Department (a) plans to make available to the Department of Health and Social Care to implement a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England and (b) what estimate he has made of the total cost to the NHS of that scheme.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care last year, the government is developing a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice. Our ambition is to provide a more stable and affordable system for general practice professionals. A state-backed scheme could provide financially sustainable cover for claims arising from the delivery of NHS primary medical care services.
This is a complex piece of work and decisions about pricing or costs are being considered. The Department for Health and Social Care has been working with the medical defence organisations that currently provide indemnity cover to GPs and with GP representatives on how a state-backed scheme could work. The government will continue to work with interested stakeholders, including GP representatives on the introduction of a scheme, including to explore how to fund new indemnity arrangements.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of funding for the NHS was allocated to NHS continuing healthcare in the (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 financial year.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
NHS Continuing Healthcare is funded by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from their overall revenue allocations. It is for CCGs to make decisions on funding based on the needs of their local populations, however, when someone is assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, CCGs are responsible for funding the full care package to meet their assessed needs.
In 2016/17, the overall spend for NHS Continuing Healthcare packages of care was £3,112,362. It is estimated that is approximately 2.9% of the overall 2016/17 NHS Mandate revenue allocation.
In 2017/18, the overall spend for NHS Continuing Healthcare packages of care was £3,152,965. It is estimated that is approximately 2.9% of the overall 2017/18 NHS Mandate revenue allocation.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of funding for the NHS his Department plans to allocate to NHS continuing healthcare in the (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 financial year.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
NHS Continuing Healthcare is funded by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from their overall revenue allocations. It is for CCGs to make decisions on funding based on the needs of their local populations, however, when someone is assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, CCGs are responsible for funding the full care package to meet their assessed needs.
It is estimated that spending on NHS Continuing Healthcare will increase by over 20% by 2020/21, or an average of approximately 3.9% per year.
It is not currently possible to accurately estimate the proportion of overall National Health Service spend on NHS Continuing Healthcare for future years.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to reduce the growth in spending on NHS continuing healthcare without reducing the standards of care provided to patients.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
NHS England’s NHS Continuing Healthcare Strategic Improvement Programme aims to provide fair access to NHS Continuing Healthcare in a way which ensures better outcomes, better experience, and better use of resources.
Planned efficiencies are not predicated on changes to eligibility or on limiting the care packages available. Clinical commissioning groups have a responsibility to ensure high standards of care and a reduction in the growth in spending will not impact this.