Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Barking constituency (a) on 12 October 2022 and (b) what the number was in 2013.
Answered by Will Quince
There are 22 practices registered in Barking in October 2022, with 27 practices registered in September 2013.
Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not mean a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to general practitioner services.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments in Barking and Dagenham conducted face-to-face (a) in the past 12 months and (b) what the figure was in 2013.
Answered by Will Quince
On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Barking and Dagenham.
We expect that patients who need an appointment with their GP practice within two weeks should get one and that patients with urgent needs should be seen on the same day. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.
In the 12 months to August 2022, 59.1% of general practice appointments were conducted face-to-face in the North East London Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Barking and Dagenham.
Answered by Will Quince
On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Barking and Dagenham.
We expect that patients who need an appointment with their GP practice within two weeks should get one and that patients with urgent needs should be seen on the same day. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.
In the 12 months to August 2022, 59.1% of general practice appointments were conducted face-to-face in the North East London Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce GP waiting times in Barking constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Barking and Dagenham.
We expect that patients who need an appointment with their GP practice within two weeks should get one and that patients with urgent needs should be seen on the same day. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.
In the 12 months to August 2022, 59.1% of general practice appointments were conducted face-to-face in the North East London Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to tackle the delay in diagnosis of women suffering from endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Institute of Health Research hosted research into the experience of women presenting with endometriosis-like symptoms in primary care. The results, published earlier this year, will help our understanding of delays in diagnosis and inform ongoing work on the Women’s Health Strategy.
A call for evidence was launched to inform the priorities, content and actions of the Women’s Health Strategy and included questions on gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis. Following analysis of the responses to the call for evidence, we will set out our commitments on endometriosis within the Strategy.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the reasons for the high smoking rate in Barking of 18.1 per cent.
Answered by Maggie Throup
While we have not made a specific assessment, we know that smoking rates are higher for those who already suffer from poorer health and other disadvantages. The forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan will set out proposals and supporting regulatory changes to meet our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who died from (a) smoking-related illnesses and (b) covid-19 in Barking in last 12 months.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Data on the number of people who died from smoking-related illness in the past year is not currently available. The latest update to smoking attributable mortality estimates at local authority level is expected in mid-2022.
In the past 12 months, 486 people in Barking and Dagenham died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential cost savings for (a) social care and (b) welfare of making fampridine (fampyra) routinely available on the NHS.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has made no assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service. In developing its recommendations, NICE takes account of all health and publicly funded social care costs and benefits. It does not routinely consider wider societal costs such as the impact on welfare spending.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of how Norway has halved its rate of smoking from 2 per cent to 1 per cent in 2020 among 18-24 year olds; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department continues to monitor developments in tobacco use across the world. Whilst smoking rates have decreased amongst those aged 16 to 24 years old in Norway, overall levels of tobacco use have remained stable. Evidence shows that the consumption of any tobacco product is harmful. We continue to promote the use of nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to a report by ASH entitled Use of e-cigarettes, vapes, among adults in Great Britain, published in June 2021, what steps his Department is taking to help reach the target of making England smoke-free by 2030 given that 51 per cent of remaining smokers have stopped using e-cigarettes.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will continue to provide information, advice and support related to the benefits of using e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation. We will continue to communicate this through local stop smoking services and campaigns. The Department is considering a range of innovative policy and regulatory changes to achieve our ambition to be smoke-free by 2030. This will be set out in our new Tobacco Control Plan, which we will publish in due course.