Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received on governance issues at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department has been in active discussion with NHS Improvement over potential governance issues at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I set out the Government’s position during the adjournment debate on the topic on 27 June.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
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 propriety of the Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust taking part in the selection of that Trust’s Chair.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As a Foundation Trust Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has the freedom, granted to them under successive Governments, to determine many of its own policies and procedures including those relating to the appointment of a new Chair. NHS Improvement guidance does however state that a foundation trust’s Chief Executive should not be permitted to vote on appointing the chair to whom he or she will be accountable. NHS Improvement is working on further strengthening provider governance.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Drug shortages derail CCGs’ budgets, published by The BMJ on 24 January 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the ten-fold year on year increase in Clinical Commissioning Group's costs relating to drugs on no cheaper stock obtainable lists.
Answered by Steve Brine
The generics market is a competitive one where prices fluctuate. Concessionary prices are set when pharmacies cannot purchase generic medicines at the Drug Tariff reimbursement price. We have seen an increase in the number of concessionary prices since the summer. This is because generic medicine selling prices have risen. The reasons for these increased selling prices include reduced stock due to regulatory action against several large manufacturers and a decrease in the value of sterling. Reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines were also reduced from August 2017 to recoup medicine margin over delivery, and adjust community pharmacy funding to the set level. This downward adjustment to generic medicine reimbursement prices happened at a similar time to when generic medicine selling prices started to increase.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
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 18 December 2017 to Question 119906, what steps he took to ascertain why the market price of amlodipine 5mg tablets was above the reimbursement price listed in the Drug Tariff prior to granting a concessionary price.
Answered by Steve Brine
Before granting a concessionary price we contact suppliers to ascertain that the product was not available at or below the reimbursement price listed in the Drug Tariff. While a specific assessment was not made as to why this particular product was not available at or below the reimbursement price listed in the Drug Tariff, we are aware of a number of reasons for the pressure in the supply chain generally.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons there was insufficient stock to confer No Cheaper Stock Obtainable (NCSO) status on a 28 pack of 5mg Amlodipine.
Answered by Steve Brine
In November the market price of amlodipine 5mg tablets was above the reimbursement price listed in the Drug Tariff, therefore the Secretary of State for Health granted a concessionary price. Supplies of amlodipine 5mg remain available from several suppliers.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of unsuccessful attempts made by (a) patients and (b) GPs when attempting to book an appointment at a hospital directly through the online choose and book system.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) replaced the choose and book system in June 2015. The NHS e-RS is designed to allow patients and healthcare professionals to select appointments with providers either online or by phone.
An attempt to make a booking may be unsuccessful if there is no appointment for the required clinic or hospital service available on e-RS. If no appointment is available for a patient or general practitioner (GP) to book on e-RS, the referral is forwarded (via the Manage Your Referral application) or deferred (via the professional application) to the patient’s chosen provider to enable the provider to book the patient an appointment.
The relevant provider is contacted informing them that a patient requires an appointment and the provider will then contact the patient in relation to an appointment. Information on unsuccessful appointment bookings by patients or GPs for the last 12 months is in the table.
Unsuccessful bookings December 2016 - November 2017 | |
By Patient | 263,681 |
By Referrer (GP) | 634,630 |
By BMS Admin1 | 708,7181 |
Total | 1,852,781 |
|
|
Total successful bookings in same period | 12,538,460 |
Note:
1Bookings by “BMS Admin” are created when either another organisation (referrer or provider) attempts to book an appointment on the patient’s behalf or if a patient contacts the national Telephone Appointments Line and a contact centre operator attempts to book an appointment on the patient’s behalf.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with North West Ambulance Trust for what reasons that Trust's vehicles do not carry (a) IV Paracetamol, (b) Ondansetron and (c) Dexamethasone.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Clinical equipment, medicines and practices of paramedics are operational matters for National Health Service ambulance trusts. However, the Ambulance Improvement Programme is currently reviewing operational delivery and configuration across ambulance trusts with a view to reducing unwarranted variation and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of ambulance services across England.
North West Ambulance Service has advised that as of October 2017:
- It would consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of Ondansetron and IV Paracetamol;
- It was not considering the introduction of Dexamethasone but would keep this under review; and
- It offers a transcutaneous pacing service.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with North West Ambulance Trust for what reason that Trust's paramedics do not practice transcutaneous pacing.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Clinical equipment, medicines and practices of paramedics are operational matters for National Health Service ambulance trusts. However, the Ambulance Improvement Programme is currently reviewing operational delivery and configuration across ambulance trusts with a view to reducing unwarranted variation and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of ambulance services across England.
North West Ambulance Service has advised that as of October 2017:
- It would consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of Ondansetron and IV Paracetamol;
- It was not considering the introduction of Dexamethasone but would keep this under review; and
- It offers a transcutaneous pacing service.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has plans to ensure that (a) all ambulances carry the same equipment and medicines and (b) the procedures employed by paramedics are the same in all ambulance trusts.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Clinical equipment, medicines and practices of paramedics are operational matters for National Health Service ambulance trusts. However, the Ambulance Improvement Programme is currently reviewing operational delivery and configuration across ambulance trusts with a view to reducing unwarranted variation and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of ambulance services across England.
North West Ambulance Service has advised that as of October 2017:
- It would consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of Ondansetron and IV Paracetamol;
- It was not considering the introduction of Dexamethasone but would keep this under review; and
- It offers a transcutaneous pacing service.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with Blackpool Victoria Hospital to facilitate an increase in the recruitment of hospital consultants at that hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Department has no record of any discussions with Blackpool Victoria Hospital to facilitate an increase in the recruitment of hospital consultants at that hospital.