Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to help mitigate the potential impact of planned industrial action by ambulance workers on acute health services in (a) Shropshire and (b) Telford and Wrekin.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England are leading national discussions to agree principles for determining derogations locally, including Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Employers and trade unions should discuss local derogations, which will identify which services are exempt from strike action in order to protect patient safety.
Exercise ‘Arctic Willow’, a multi-day exercise for integrated care boards (ICBs) working with trusts, is currently taking place. This will test the system to ensure services can respond to multiple, concurrent events. Data from this exercise will be coordinated through ICBs and submitted to NHS England. Findings will be complete by mid-December.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 reduce waiting times for community mental health services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand mental health services in England, including in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure the future of the Veterans Mobility Fund.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government does not intend to reinstate the Veterans’ Mobility Fund
The Veterans' Mobility Fund was a time-limited fund set up in 2015 to provide support for veterans with serious physical injury resulting from their time in service. Although this fund is now closed, the NHS has a range of specialist equipment that can be procured through the NHS following an assessment of clinical need.
We are working with NHS England to ensure that there is no gap in provision for those who previously relied on the Veterans’ Mobility Fund. All equipment provided through the NHS must meet the clinical needs of the person who needs it whilst at the same time being available to all who need it. Enhanced support is available through the Personal Health Budget for Wheelchairs for those who required enhanced equipment.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department's proposal for an A&E Local model at Telford Princess Royal Hospital would provide 24-hour, 7-day a week urgent care for local residents.
Answered by Will Quince
The new accident and emergency local model at Telford providing 24-hour, seven-day a week enhanced urgent care for residents is one component of the service changes outlined in the recently approved Strategic Outline Case for the Hospitals Transformation Programme.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 relevant professional bodies on recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications in the UK’s health and social care sector.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the relevant professional bodies on recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications in the United Kingdom’s (UK) health and social care sector. Healthcare professional regulators, who set and enforce the standards that regulate healthcare professionals, are independent of government and directly accountable to Parliament.
The Government knows there are high-skilled Ukrainians in the UK who would be an asset to our outstanding National Health Service. Therefore, Government provided advice in Welcome Packs, given to all Homes for Ukraine arrivals, on how to obtain an international qualification recognised within the UK. This can be found at the following link:
In addition, guidance has been produced in Ukrainian, Russian and English on gaining accreditation for medical professionals. This guidance will be published on GOV.UK in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take additional steps to ensure the nuclear preparedness of England’s acute hospital trusts.
Answered by Will Quince
Acute, specialist, mental health and community National Health Service providers are required to have planning arrangement in place for the management of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. Assurance of these arrangements are sought as part of the NHS England emergency preparedness, resilience and response annual assurance process against core standards.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 ensure an adequate number of NHS dentists in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department is working with the National Health Service and Health Education England (HEE) to improve the provision of NHS dentistry nationally, including in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. HEE’s Advancing Dental Care Review aims to tackle recruitment and retention challenges, attracting and retaining more dentists and dental care professionals in the NHS. These recommendations will be implemented through the Dental Education Reform Programme. We are also working with NHS England and other stakeholders to reform the dental contract, to ensure that working in the NHS is more attractive for dentists and other dental professionals.
The Department is working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow the regulator greater flexibility to expand the registration options open to international dentists. The consultation on these changes has now closed and subject to its outcome, we hope to bring forward legislative changes later this year.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 ensure an adequate number of NHS dentists in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 improve maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust since the publication of the Ockenden Review.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to implement all the local actions set out in the final Ockenden Report. The Trust has participated in the Maternity Safety Support Programme since 2018. This programme involves senior experienced midwives and obstetricians providing intensive support to the Trust through visits, mentoring, peer support, review of key documents, sharing good working practice and leadership development to improve maternity services.
The Trust remains within the Maternity Safety Support programme and has a full-time dedicated Maternity Improvement Adviser (MIA) to improve its maternity services. The Deputy Chief Midwifery Officer, Sascha Wells-Munro, and the National Specialty Adviser for Obstetrics, Professor Donald Peebles, plan to meet the leadership team at the Trust on 12 May 2022 to agree any further support required, working with the MIA.