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 - Secretary of State for Education
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 - Secretary of State for Education
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 - Secretary of State for Education
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 - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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 - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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.
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 data his Department holds on the number of cases that have been recorded where patients have complained of side effects from the use of Roaccutane in each year since 2014.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
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.
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 potential risks to patient safety and data protection of using IT providers that do not meet the requirements of (a) DTAC and (b) DBC0129.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
A range of online consultation and video consultation solutions are available to procure through a Digital First, Online Consultation and Video Consultation (DFOCVC) procurement framework. The DFOCVC framework is underpinned by requirements as part of the Digital Care Services framework Capabilities & Standards Model. These requirements do not currently include compliance with the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).
Of the suppliers on the framework, currently one supplier, Push Doctor Limited is known to have met the DTAC criteria through an assessment undertaken by NHSX in February 2021. Information on whether another National Health Service organisation has undertaken a DTAC assessment of another supplier on DFOCVC is not held centrally.
The DTAC, incorporating DBC0129, was introduced in February 2021 to ensure that digital health technologies and clinical health IT systems purchased by the NHS meet a baseline standard, including on patient safety and data protection. The DTAC is currently non-mandatory and relies on its use by procuring organisations. The Health and Care Bill proposes legislative changes to provide a mechanism for DTAC to be mandatory and enforceable. In the interim, NHS organisations are required to pay due attention as an Information Standards Notice. The use of DTAC is already advised in NHS guidance, including the What Good Looks Like framework.
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 have met the NHS's Digital Technology Assessment Criteria since they were launched; and which companies have met those criteria.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
A range of online consultation and video consultation solutions are available to procure through a Digital First, Online Consultation and Video Consultation (DFOCVC) procurement framework. The DFOCVC framework is underpinned by requirements as part of the Digital Care Services framework Capabilities & Standards Model. These requirements do not currently include compliance with the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).
Of the suppliers on the framework, currently one supplier, Push Doctor Limited is known to have met the DTAC criteria through an assessment undertaken by NHSX in February 2021. Information on whether another National Health Service organisation has undertaken a DTAC assessment of another supplier on DFOCVC is not held centrally.
The DTAC, incorporating DBC0129, was introduced in February 2021 to ensure that digital health technologies and clinical health IT systems purchased by the NHS meet a baseline standard, including on patient safety and data protection. The DTAC is currently non-mandatory and relies on its use by procuring organisations. The Health and Care Bill proposes legislative changes to provide a mechanism for DTAC to be mandatory and enforceable. In the interim, NHS organisations are required to pay due attention as an Information Standards Notice. The use of DTAC is already advised in NHS guidance, including the What Good Looks Like framework.
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 all NHS clinical health IT systems providers are required under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to meet the (a) Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) and (b) DCB0129 clinical risk management standard.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Digital Technology Assessment Criteria for Health and Social Care (DTAC) was introduced in February 2021 to ensure that digital health technologies and clinical health IT systems purchased by the National Health Service meet a baseline standard. This includes areas such as clinical safety, data protection and cyber security, bringing together legislation and good practice into a single framework. It encompasses the DCB0129 clinical risk management standard.
The DTAC is currently non-mandatory and relies on the procuring organisation making use of it. The Health and Care Bill will provide a mechanism for DTAC to be mandatory and enforceable. In the interim, it will be published as an Information Standards Notice which requires NHS organisations to pay due attention. The use of DTAC is already advised in NHS guidance, including the ‘What Good Looks Like framework’.
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 much funding has been allocated for mental health support teams in schools and colleges in each year between 2018-19 and 2023-24; and what proportion of schools and colleges were covered by those teams in each year from 2018-19 to date.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The funding profile for mental health support teams and four week waiting time pilots is shown in the following table.
2018/19 £ million | 2019/20 £ million | 2020/21 £ million | 2021/221 £ million | 2022/23 £ million | 2023/24 £ million |
24 | 76 | 115 | 136 | 185 | 249 |
Source: Mental Health Implementation Plan, NHS England
Note:
1 Excludes funding provided as part of £79 million additional funding for children and young people’s mental health services in 2021/22.
Information on the number of schools and colleges covered by mental health support teams is not held centrally.