Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's assessment of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2020 includes consideration of those Regulations' impact on (a) all equalities groups and (b) the health access and outcomes of Black Asian and minority ethnic pregnant women and new mothers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar
There are currently no plans to publish a report relating to the internal policy assessment on these Regulations. The Department is considering the emerging evidence to ensure that the policy continues to protect National Health Service resources, while maintaining a humanitarian approach to the provision of healthcare. This assessment considers the effect on the most vulnerable migrants and overseas visitors, pregnant women and new mothers, as well as destitute migrants. It also focussed on ensuring that we continue to meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 with regards to individuals or groups with protected characteristics, including but not limited to race, disability, sex and gender and maternity.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the report on the Policy Assessment on the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations.
Answered by Edward Argar
There are currently no plans to publish a report relating to the internal policy assessment on these Regulations. The Department is considering the emerging evidence to ensure that the policy continues to protect National Health Service resources, while maintaining a humanitarian approach to the provision of healthcare. This assessment considers the effect on the most vulnerable migrants and overseas visitors, pregnant women and new mothers, as well as destitute migrants. It also focussed on ensuring that we continue to meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 with regards to individuals or groups with protected characteristics, including but not limited to race, disability, sex and gender and maternity.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 March 2022 to Question 141194 on Health Services: ICT, in what form his Department will receive and hold data on the DTAC compliance of digital health technologies and clinical systems.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
National Health Service organisations will be commissioned and return this data by NHS secure email to be stored on secure servers. We are currently assessing which system is most appropriate to support this function in future.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 22 March 2022 to Question 141194 on Health Services: ICT, on what date in April 2022 his Department will hold information on the DTAC compliance for all digital health technologies and clinical systems.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The information for the period to May 2022 will be requested from National Health Service organisations procuring digital health technologies in June 2022. It is currently intended that the exercise will be conducted on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many IT providers of video conferencing services meet the NHS DCB0129 requirements; and which companies have met that standard.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
Information on the number of IT providers of video conferencing services who have met the NHS DCB0129 standard is not held centrally. The Health and Social Care Act 2012, Section 250 and the two information standards DBC0129 and DCB0160 establish a framework for clinical risk management of health IT systems. Manufacturers of health IT systems that are publicly commissioned for deployment and use in England for health or adult social care purposes are mandated to pay due attention to the Information Standards notice in accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
For video conferencing on an NHS Digital managed framework, NHS Digital has assessed products provided by the following suppliers against DCB0129:
- Advanced Health and Care Limited; |
- ENGAGE HEALTH SYSTEMS LIMITED; |
- Involve Visual Collaboration Ltd; |
- iPLATO; |
- Medstars; |
- MJog Limited; |
- MyClinic.com ltd; |
- Push Dr Limited; |
- Redwood Technologies Group Limited; |
- Sensely; |
- Silicon Practice; |
- The GP Service (UK) Limited; |
- T-Pro; and |
- Wellola; |
Compliance with the DCB0129 standards is one of the requirements of Digital Technology Assessment Criteria for Health and Social Care that suppliers are required to meet at the point of purchase by the National Health Service. Therefore, further products are likely to have been assessed locally by the NHS.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 risk to (a) patient safety and (b) data security of companies that provide IT services to healthcare settings that are not compliant with the information standard DBC0129 on clinical risk management.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
All health IT system providers working with the National Health Service are expected to meet the DCB0129 standard and we are addressing compliance. Commissioners are responsible for assessing the risks related to patient safety and data security if systems which have been commissioned and procured do not comply with DCB0129.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 how many and what proportion providers of IT clinical settings are compliant with the information standard DBC0129 on clinical risk management.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
All health IT system providers working with the National Health Service are expected to meet the DCB0129 standard. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, it is the responsibility of local NHS providers to assess the supplier and confirm the system meets the DCB0129 standard. To deploy the system responsibly, the NHS organisation would need to review the suppliers Clinical Safety Case Report and determine that the system met the DCB0129 standard.
There is currently no central assessment of the proportion of provider conformity with the information standard DCB0129. From April 2022, NHS organisations will be required to report on their compliance with the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) for all digital health technologies and clinical systems used in the organisation. The DTAC standards include compliance with the DCB0129 clinical risk management standard, therefore this assurance process will collect the proportion of providers which are compliant in future.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on what professional and ethical standards and requirements apply to practitioners of alternative medicine.
Answered by Edward Argar
The National Health Service categorises complementary and alternative medicines as therapies that are typically used with the intention of treating or curing a health condition which fall outside of mainstream healthcare.
The Department does not hold information on standards which may be set by professional bodies representing individuals performing alternative and complementary medicine. Anyone seeking alternative or complementary treatments is urged to find a reputable, safe, and qualified practitioner subject to statutory regulation or who is registered on a voluntary register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 help ensure that medical professionals inform patients of the possible side effects of Roaccutane.
Answered by Edward Argar
Roaccutane is a brand name for the medicine isotretinoin which is authorised for the treatment of severe forms of acne. National data on the total number of patients who have experienced side effects after using isotretinoin is not available. The Yellow Card scheme operated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) collects information on suspected side effects in the United Kingdom. Since 2014, between 87 and 135 reports of side effects suspected to be associated with the use of isotretinoin have been received each year.
It is estimated that approximately 35,000 individuals receive isotretinoin each year in the UK. Estimates of the exact number of people treated with isotretinoin is not available as the dose is individualised based on the patient’s weight and their response to the medicine.
The product information for all medicines, including isotretinoin, contains advice about possible side effects and how to report them. Healthcare professionals receive the MHRA’s Drug Safety Update which includes information about possible side effects and any action which needs to be taken. Since 2014, the Drug Safety Update has included a number of articles on isotretinoin, including reminders on important risks and precautions.
The terms of the ongoing review of the risk of psychiatric and sexual side effects for isotretinoin include consideration of whether regulatory action is needed to ensure awareness of the risks associated with this medicine.