Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of Individual Funding Requests for cancer medicines were approved in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.
Answered by George Freeman
Prior to April 2013, Individual Funding Requests were administered through primary care trusts and information on the numbers of such requests was not collected centrally.
Since April 2013, cancer medicines are either routinely commissioned by NHS England or funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund.
NHS England publishes quarterly information on the number of individual Cancer Drugs Fund applications, including those refused by the Cancer Drugs Fund panel. This information is available at:
www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Individual Funding Request process for cancer medicines.
Answered by George Freeman
We have made no such assessment.
Since April 2013, cancer medicines are either routinely commissioned by NHS England or funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).
Individual applications to the Fund are handled in line with NHS England’s CDF Standard Operating Procedure, which is at:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sop-cdf-1114.pdf
NHS England has advised that CDF panel members receive training to ensure they are up to date and working effectively. Panels are also occasionally observed to check their effectiveness.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the reconfiguration of health services in Worcestershire and its effects on Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service as they are best placed to know the needs of local people and how to deliver them in the best interests of patients.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulation of the comestic industry; and whether he plans to propose further regulations relating to that industry.
Answered by Dan Poulter
On 24 April 2013, the independent Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, was published. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
The review highlighted how the rapid growth of the cosmetic interventions sector is exposing people who undergo these procedures to a concerning lack of safeguards. It made recommendations to improve the quality of care, to inform and empower the public and to ensure resolution and redress when things go wrong.
We fully accept the principles of the Keogh review and the overwhelming majority of the recommendations. The Government Response to the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, was published on 13 February. The response looks to strengthen standards through better training and robust qualifications, and explores how far supervision from regulated professionals might support self-regulation of the sector. A copy of the response has already been placed in the Library.
We want to protect the public and ensure proper training and oversight of both non-surgical and surgical cosmetic interventions and we are looking at ways to legislate where required to achieve this. Officials are working with key delivery partners such as the Royal College of Surgeons who have set up an inter-specialty committee to ensure standards for cosmetic surgery and they are working with the General Medical Council on a code of ethical conduct. Health Education England (HEE) is leading on a review of training for providers of non-surgical interventions, such as botulinum toxin (commonly known as 'Botox') and dermal filler injections. HEE will be publishing their findings on the training framework soon. Work is also underway on a breast implant registry to reassure women that if problems arise they can be contacted, kept informed and called in for treatment if necessary.
There are examples of high quality surgical and non-surgical cosmetic interventions provided by trained staff to high standards of care and satisfaction. It is these high standards that must be universal.
Asked by: Karen Lumley (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer patients aged between 13 and 24 have (a) accessed treatments through the already approved Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list, (b) applied for individual CDF requests, (c) had individual CDF requests put forward for consideration by the CDF panel, (d) had individual CDF requests approved by the CDF panel and (e) had individual CDF requests refused by the CDF panel in each of the last three years.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Prior to April 2013, information on the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and information on the age of patients who received cancer drugs was not collected.
NHS England has had oversight of the Fund since April 2013 and advises that it does not analyse Cancer Drugs Fund data by age ranges.