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Written Question
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 14 June 2023 to Question 188530 on Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, whether it remains her policy to update the information on the NHS website on sudden unexplained death in childhood before June 2024.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 28 July 2023, the National Health Service United Kingdom website team updated its content on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to distinguish between SIDS and Sudden Unexplained Death Childhood (SUDC), including a reference and link to the charity SUDC UK for further information.

However, a decision was made not to incorporate information about SUDC to the website content on febrile seizures. This was based on the lack of high-quality evidence connecting the two and is in line with the British Medical Association guidance and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary. It was also noted that the primary advice and directives on seeking help for febrile seizures would remain unchanged.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Health Education
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take steps raise awareness of (a) the levels of nicotine in and (b) the risk of addiction from vape devices.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Vaping is substantially less harmful than cigarettes and one of the most effective cessation aids, however due to the addictive nicotine content and the unknown long-term harms it is not recommended for children and non-smokers.

As part of the requirements under Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016, every nicotine vape packet must contain a health warning, “warning: this product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance”. Requirements also limit nicotine strength to 20mg/ml and limit refill bottle and tank sizes.

The NHS Better Health website provides information and advice on using vapes to quit smoking and includes advice on how to quit vaping.

The Government launched a consultation in October 2023 seeking views on our plans to crack down on youth vaping by reducing the appeal, availability and affordability of vapes to our children. This is live until 6 December 2023 and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Thursday 23rd November 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to ban single use disposable vapes.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is consulting on a range of proposals to tackle the rise in children vaping. The includes measures to restrict the supply of single use vapes, such as a potential future ban.

Details of the full range of proposals under consideration are set out in the Government consultation “Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping” which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping

The consultation is live until 6 December, and we will publish our response shortly after.


Written Question
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Health Services
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve support people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to improve support for carers of people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The Government recognises that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can have a significant impact on the early years development of children and their life chances, and is taking action to improve support for those living with its consequences. The Department of Health and Social Care published the FASD Health Needs Assessment in 2021, which set out further steps to be taken to address the needs of individuals with FASD.

The Department of Health and Social Care also commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard to improve the diagnosis and care for children and young people with FASD and highlight the importance of advising women to abstain from alcohol in pregnancy, in line with the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines. This was published in 2022.

The Department for Education is supporting kinship families through a £2 million contract with the charity Kinship to deliver high-quality peer support groups for kinship carers across the country. This provides a range of support for kinship carers, including support for carers of people with FASD.


Written Question
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising existing (a) training and (b) national curriculum programs for staff within the (i) healthcare and (ii) social sectors to increase the understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; and if he will commission a public health awareness campaign on the condition for the general public.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

There are no current plans to revise existing training and education, as there are already several mechanisms in place to increase understanding of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) amongst healthcare and social care staff.

For example, in 2022 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a FASD Quality Standard, at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Quality Standard outlines several actions to be taken by service providers and healthcare professionals to improve assessment, diagnosis, and management of FASD.

In social sectors, to support continuous improvement of practice for child and family social workers, the Department for Education has developed the Post Qualifying Standards for child and family social work, which set out the skills and knowledge they need to protect vulnerable children and families. This includes children with complex needs, such as those with FASD.

There are no plans to commission a specific public health awareness campaign for FASD. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS England and local commissioners continue to raise awareness and education on the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant and through midwives and health visitors. The Department of Health and Social Care already publishes guidance for communicating the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines, which includes the risks associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Additionally, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is producing guidance to support women to make healthy decisions when planning for pregnancy, which will include information on the risks of drinking while pregnant.


Written Question
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps taking to improve care for families affected by sudden, unexpected child death.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

It is priority to ensure parents and families have access to readily available information when their child dies. NHS England are in the process of reviewing content drafted by patient groups and confirming processes for updating the NHS.UK website to include relevant information relating to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), with a view to have updates published in the coming months.

NHS England also still intend to update the ‘When A Child Dies’ leaflet over the next year in collaboration with affected families, parents and carers, as well as National Child Mortality Database colleagues and SUDC charities, including SUDC UK and relevant professional groups.

The Department will hold a roundtable later this year which will likely focus on professional awareness and training opportunities, seeking to improve confidence in understanding and responding to SUDC.


Written Question
Febrile Seizures
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to update public information leaflets on febrile seizures.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

NHS England are in the process of reviewing content drafted by patient groups and confirming processes for updating the NHS.UK website to include relevant information on Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), with a view to have updates published in the coming months. This includes exploring the most helpful options for updating information relating to febrile seizures.

NHS England intend to update the ‘When A Child Dies’ leaflet over the next year in collaboration with affected families, parents and carers, as well as National Child Mortality Database colleagues and SUDC charities, including SUDC UK and relevant professional groups.


Written Question
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding to support a review of the care provided to families affected by sudden, unexpected child death.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

Losing a child is one of the most difficult things a family can go through.  Listening to bereaved families, ensuring clear communication and establishing support is a top priority following the death of a child. We are holding a roundtable later this year which will likely focus on professional awareness and training opportunities, seeking to improve confidence in understanding and responding to Sudden Unexplained Death in Child. The work in progress on this issue is being met within existing budgets.


Written Question
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide funding to help improve the professional joint agency response to sudden and unexpected child death. .

Answered by Neil O'Brien

Losing a child is one of the most difficult things a family can go through.  Listening to bereaved families, ensuring clear communication and establishing support is a top priority following the death of a child. We are holding a roundtable later this year which will likely focus on professional awareness and training opportunities, seeking to improve confidence in understanding and responding to Sudden Unexplained Death in Child. The work in progress on this issue is being met within existing budgets.


Written Question
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Wednesday 14th June 2023

Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to update the NHS website with information about Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood; and if he will make this updating a priority.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

NHS England are in the process of reviewing content drafted by patient groups and confirming processes for updating the NHS.UK website to include relevant information on Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), with a view to have updates published in the coming months. This includes exploring the most helpful options for updating information relating to febrile seizures.

NHS England intend to update the ‘When A Child Dies’ leaflet over the next year in collaboration with affected families, parents and carers, as well as National Child Mortality Database colleagues and SUDC charities, including SUDC UK and relevant professional groups.