Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the measurement criteria for the effectiveness of improvements in hospital food.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England is collecting data about trusts’ progress in implementing the eight mandatory elements of the Hospital Food and Drink Standards, including trusts having a named board member with responsibility for hospital food. The results are expected by March 2024.
Results from NHS England’s latest survey into patient’s assessment of their care survey published in March 2023 show a 90% approval on food/hydration, which demonstrates the overall impact of the improvements being made to hospital food such as the roll out of the eight mandatory Hospital Food and Drink Standards.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts have a named board member with responsibility for hospital food.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England is collecting data about trusts’ progress in implementing the eight mandatory elements of the Hospital Food and Drink Standards, including trusts having a named board member with responsibility for hospital food. The results are expected by March 2024.
Results from NHS England’s latest survey into patient’s assessment of their care survey published in March 2023 show a 90% approval on food/hydration, which demonstrates the overall impact of the improvements being made to hospital food such as the roll out of the eight mandatory Hospital Food and Drink Standards.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
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 assess the cost-effectiveness of his Department's preventive healthcare strategies; and whether his Department has conducted research on the (a) cost-effectiveness and (b) impact on public health outcomes of preventive healthcare interventions.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department assesses the cost-effectiveness of prevention measures through a rigorous and evidence-based approach. The Department publishes impact assessments for policy proposals applying the methodology outlined in the Green Book, which provides guidance on appraising Government policy, programmes and projects. The Green Book is available at the following link:
There is a wide range of published research and evidence on preventative healthcare interventions, which informs both the development of policy and advice issued to health services including by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. In 2017, Public Health England published the Health Economics Evidence Resource which summarized the evidence on the cost-effectiveness of various prevention interventions used by local authorities. The Health Economics Evidence Resource is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-economics-evidence-resource
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the effectiveness of preventive healthcare (a) programs and (b) interventions at (i) increasing average life expectancy and (b) reducing the incidence of preventable diseases in the last 10 years; and whether his Department has conducted research on the effectiveness of individual preventive healthcare (A) programs and (B) interventions.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department is taking action to improve healthy life expectancy (HLE), improve average life expectancy (LE) and reduce incidence of preventable disease. We monitor the impact of our programmes and interventions on their target metrics, and we are working towards understanding their impact on HLE as part of our work to drive progress on our Levelling Up health mission.
On 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England. The strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions, namely cancers, mental health, cardiovascular disease (including stroke and diabetes), dementia, chronic respiratory diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders, that account for approximately 60% of ill-health and early death in England.
There is a wide range of published research and evidence on preventative healthcare interventions, which informs both the development of policy and advice issues to health services including by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. In 2017, PHE published the Health Economics Evidence Resource, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-economics-evidence-resource
This summarised the evidence on the cost-effectiveness of various prevention interventions used by local authorities.
Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department has funded research on preventative healthcare interventions. For example, the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme funded study ‘What happens after an NHS Health Check? A survey and realist review’ has recently reported. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including preventative healthcare interventions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. NIHR funded research is published in its journals library which is available at the following link:
https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of joint working between (a) health services, (b) social care services and (c) local councils on the prevention of fractures caused by osteoporosis.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 July 2023 to Question 192563.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recommendations 22 and 23 of the independent report entitled Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review - final report, published in May 2023, whether the Government plans to set out a strategy for increasing clinical trial activity in primary care settings.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023.
The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the Government made in May 2023.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recommendations 14 and 15 of the independent report entitled Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review - final report, published in May 2023, what plans the Government has to promote research (a) opportunities and (b) campaigns among clinicians and the public.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023.
The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the Government made in May 2023.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the independent report entitled Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review - final report, published in May 2023, what steps the Government has taken to implement that report's recommendations; and if he will he make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023.
The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the Government made in May 2023.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recommendation 7 of the independent report entitled Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review - final report, published in May 2023, what plans the Government has to (a) set and (b) meet annual targets for increasing commercial clinical trials in the UK.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023.
The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the Government made in May 2023.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to recommendations 2 and 3 of the independent report entitled Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review - final report, published in May 2023, whether the Government has taken steps to reduce the (a) regulatory burden of and (b) turnaround time for approving clinical trials.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023.
The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the Government made in May 2023.