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Written Question
NHS: Overtime
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

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 number of frontline NHS staff opting (a) to not work overtime and (b) to reduce the number of overtime hours worked as a result to the potential impact that overtime pay might have on their eligibility for the High-Income Child Benefit Tax Charge and level of household income.

Answered by Edward Argar

No assessment has been made. Data on the number of staff not working overtime or reducing their overtime hours is not held centrally.

We have had no specific discussions with HM Treasury and no assessment of the potential impact of an exemption on staffing levels in winter 2021/22.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 08 Dec 2021
Covid-19 Update

"This week, the TUC published research showing that more than 600,000 workers in hospitality, retail and entertainment do not qualify for statutory sick pay. That workforce is especially at risk over the busy Christmas period and the lack of support available to those workers means that they risk going without …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19 Update

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 29 Nov 2021
Covid-19 Update

"If we are to win the fight against the omicron variant, it is essential that people comply with public health guidance, but with the UK’s statutory sick pay ranking among the lowest in Europe, far too many people in this country simply cannot afford to self-isolate. Will the Secretary of …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19 Update

Written Question
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of increasing the qualifying age for free prescriptions to the state retirement age on the number of hospital admissions in England.

Answered by Jo Churchill

A full assessment has not been made.


Written Question
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

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 public health effects of the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish Government’s decision to end prescription charges.

Answered by Jo Churchill

We have made no such assessment as the decision is a matter for the devolved administrations.


Written Question
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of increasing the qualifying age for free prescriptions to the state retirement age on the numbers of people rationing medicines they have been prescribed.

Answered by Jo Churchill

A specific assessment has not been made.


Written Question
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

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 potential additional expenses that might be incurred by healthcare providers in England as a result of people not following their medicine regime in the event of the qualifying age for free prescriptions being increased to the state pension age.

Answered by Jo Churchill

No assessment has been made.


Written Question
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

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 potential effect of increasing the qualifying age for free prescriptions to the state pension age on levels of poverty (a) nationally and (b) by constituency.

Answered by Jo Churchill

No such assessment has been made.


Written Question
Trodelvy
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the National Institute for Health Care Excellence on accelerating the publication of its advice on whether Sacituzumab Govitecan, marketed as Trodelvy, is a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources.

Answered by Jo Churchill

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for scheduling the development of technology appraisal guidance on individual medicines in discussion with the manufacturer. Following discussion with Gilead, the manufacturer of sacituzumab govitecan, NICE has been able to accelerate its appraisal and now expects to issue guidance in June 2022, with draft guidance expected in April 2022.

In view of the challenge for the health system presented by the more rapid approval of Project Orbis drugs, NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE have agreed a set of principles to allow potential interim access to drugs licensed through this route ahead of NICE’s guidance.


Written Question
Trodelvy
Monday 13th September 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with people affected by metastatic triple-negative breast cancer to discuss the potential of the drug Sacituzumab Govitecan, marketed as Trodelvy, to improve (a) the quality of life and (b) the prognoses of people diagnosed with that condition.

Answered by Jo Churchill

We have no current plans to do so. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently appraising Trodelvy (Sacituzumab govitecan) for the treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer and expects to publish guidance for the National Health Service in June 2022.