Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
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 to (a) The Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health and (b) Every Mind Matters in each year since their inception.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Prevention Concordat programme has never been allocated funding. The funding for Better Health - Every Mind Matters, each year from 2019/20 to 2023/24, is as follows:
- £6,910,000 in 2019/20;
- £3,040,000 in 2020/21;
- £5,300,000 in 2021/22;
- £3,330,000 in 2022/23; and
- £3,350,000 in 2023/24.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff were employed in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in public mental health national roles in (a) 2021, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
National public mental health activity is delivered in a matrix, via a mixture of national and regional teams, drawing on public health, mental health, policy, project delivery, communication, marketing, and analytical expertise. The approach and scale of the contribution from the various teams in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the Department varies in line with the action being taken.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
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 24 November 2023 to Question 1672 on Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's statement of 1 September 2023 on a respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme for infants and older adults.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England are continuing to develop options and plans based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice, regarding expanded respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programmes to protect infants and older adults.
This is taking into account clinical and operational factors, such as timing and coordination with other national immunisation programmes. As part of this work, the Government is engaging the market on its requirements for products that would enable RSV programmes to be implemented. A final decision on these programmes will be taken following the outcome of this process.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) adults and (b) children were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in the region covered by the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows child and adult hospital admission for dental extraction due to decay in the North East and North Cumbria footprint, based on the registered general practices, each year from 2019 to present:
Year | Adult | Child | Total |
2019/20 | 2,172 | 2,539 | 4,711 |
2020/21 | 924 | 1,434 | 2,358 |
2021/22 | 1,539 | 2,341 | 3,880 |
2022/23 | 1,747 | 2,376 | 4,123 |
2023/24 | 1,270 | 1,704 | 2,974 |
Total | 7,652 | 10,394 | 18,046 |
Source: Secondary Uses Service data is available on the NHS Digital website via the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/secondary-uses-service-sus
Note: Based on Primary diagnosis K02, Primary procedure, F09, F10.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of integrating mental health data with the mapping of predictions of extreme weather events.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department has made no such assessment. It is important that the right support is in place, including for those affected by extreme weather events. NHS England has clinical guidelines on dealing with major incidents, including on providing psychosocial support for both patients and staff.
Talking therapies are available remotely so people can access help safely from home and the National Health Service is working to ensure the option of face-to-face support is provided to people with serious mental health illnesses across all ages where it is clinically safe to do so.
The UK Health Security Agency has published an Adverse Weather and Health Plan to provide information to assist health professionals and public agencies to understand and mitigate the mental health risks posed by adverse weather conditions. It is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adverse-weather-and-health-plan
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of extreme weather on suicide risk.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department has made no such assessment on the impact of extreme weather on suicide risk.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of people impacted by flooding.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department has responded to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry into rural mental health. Further information on the inquiry is available at the following link:
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1627/rural-mental-health/
It is important that the right support is in place, including for those affected by flooding. NHS England has clinical guidelines on dealing with major incidents, including on providing psychosocial support for both patients and staff.
Talking therapies are available remotely so people can access help safely from home and the National Health Service is working to ensure the option of face-to-face support is provided to people with serious mental health illnesses, across all ages where it is clinically safe to do so.
The UK Health Security Agency has published flooding and health guidance to provide information to assist health professionals and public agencies to understand and mitigate the mental health risks posed by flooding. It is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/flooding-health-guidance-and-advice
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the relationship between the availability of NHS dental care and (a) adult and (b) children dental health in Blaydon constituency.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
From June 2021 to June 2023, 1,099,769 adults saw a National Health Service dentist in the North-East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) area. This is equal to 46% of the adult population in the ICB area, and is higher than the national figure, which was 41% over the same period. Furthermore, from June 2022 to June 2023, 323,155 children saw an NHS dentist in the ICB area. This is equal to 54% of the child population in the ICB area, and is also higher than the national figure, which was 53% over the same period.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services by NHS inclusion groups since 2017.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The attached tables show the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services by age, ethnicity and indices of Deprivation deciles from 2019/20 to 2021/22. Data prior to 2019/20 is not included as the analysis of perinatal services did not exist prior to this year and as such would be subject to data quality considerations. Data for 2022/23 is due to be published on 22 February 2024.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the system readiness to introduce whole genome sequencing for newborns as part of the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Generation Study is a research study that will evaluate the utility and feasibility of screening newborns for a larger number of childhood-onset rare genetic conditions in the National Health Service, using whole genome sequencing. Genomics England are working closely with the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) to ensure the research generates the right evidence to inform any potential screening recommendations by the UK NSC and commissioning decisions by the NHS. If the evidence from the study indicates that the use of whole genome sequencing in newborn screening is effective, meets the criteria set by the UK NSC and a positive recommendation is made by the UK NSC, health ministers in the United Kingdom will then decide if this recommendation should be accepted. In the meantime, the UK NSC continues to assess proposals for additional conditions for newborn screening as they are received.