Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) strengthen protections for NHS whistleblowers and (b) prevent repercussions for those who raise patient safety concerns.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has been clear that the silencing of whistleblowers will not be tolerated, and that National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns.
There is a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers who want to speak up about any concerns that they have. There is also a national Freedom to Speak Up policy, published by NHS England, which sets out the minimum standards for local Freedom to Speak Up policies across the NHS, with all NHS organisations having been instructed to adopt this policy. These initiatives sit alongside legal protections for whistleblowers, which have been strengthened so that they also prohibit discrimination against job applicants on the grounds that they have spoken up in the past.
In November 2024, the Department launched a consultation on options for regulating NHS managers, with the aim of improving leadership quality and accountability. This will help ensure that the NHS has strong and effective leadership in place, and that leaders and managers are held accountable for their practice. The consultation closed on 18 February 2025 and had strong engagement, receiving nearly 5,000 responses.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of including Tunbridge Wells in the High Cost Area Allowance and (b) impact of these proposals on staff (i) recruitment and (ii) retention for the NHS Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is part of the Pay Review Bodies’ remit to look at and, if necessary, make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements, and on the value of such supplements. As these provisions are reflected in staff terms and conditions of service, any recommended changes would need to be collectively agreed between employers and trade unions.
Alternatively, National Health Service employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high-cost area supplement, or can request the introduction of a supplement where no supplement exists. There must be evidence to support its introduction, and this would be down to local determination.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the criteria for removing varicose veins to include the level of pain experienced.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance identifies several treatment options for those with symptoms or complications associated with varicose veins, including surgery to remove the veins.
Pain that is more severe can often be associated with other conditions. A decision on which treatment is most appropriate will be led by a clinician on a case- by-case basis, based on the evidence, level of associated risk, as well as the pain and symptoms the patient presents with.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are compensation schemes available for people made ill by defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has confirmed that there is no specific NHS compensation scheme for claims relating to defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.
While there is no specific compensation scheme for claims relating to defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy, NHSR’s website gives some general advice for claimants wishing to make a claim for clinical negligence, with further information available at the following link:
https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/advice-for-claimants/
Anyone who is aware of complications or adverse events associated with hip replacement devices is encouraged to seek clinical advice from their responsible clinician and report the issue via the Yellow Card Scheme, which is available at the following link:
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made with NHS England on rolling out the Fracture Liaison Service.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model, and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures, and support the patients who sustain them. The Government is committed to ending the postcode lottery for access to FLS.
FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards, which make decisions according to local need. Officials are continuing to work closely with NHS England to consider how best to support systems to ensure better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what grants are available for (a) district and (b) borough councils to support mental health initiatives.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no grants available specifically to support mental health initiatives at this time; however, local authorities may decide to fund such initiatives from their Public Health Grant allocations.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS patients who consent to have their data shared with UK medical institutions for research and development will not have their data shared overseas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research studies in which patients choose to share their data must adhere to strict legal and ethical standards, including compliance with the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the common law duty of confidentiality. As part of this, participants must be fully informed about how their data will be used, including with whom it might be shared, so they can make an informed decision about their participation.
The National Health Service and major UK research institutions are increasingly adopting secure data environments for data access, with researchers accessing data through secure online portals rather than it being directly shared with them. Each NHS and research organisation has its own processes when sharing data that ensure that they comply with legal requirements. Consent materials would explain the circumstances where data may be made available outside of the UK.
NHS England, for example, enters into formal data sharing agreements where it is sharing information with researchers, which specifies the geographical area within which data processing is permitted. Where data processing occurs outside the UK, additional conditions must be fulfilled to ensure researchers put in place adequate organisational and technical controls, and comply with their legal responsibilities in relation to overseas transfers that are required under UK GDPR.
NHS England undertakes routine audits of data sharing agreements to ensure that high standards are consistently maintained.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake is of (a) Covid-19 and (b) flu vaccinations in Tunbridge Wells constituency .
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The information is not held in the format requested. Monthly data includes the numbers of those vaccinated, but the data is not extrapolated and is based on the response rate of those organisations responding to the monthly survey. NHS England and local authority data is not held for the Tunbridge Wells constituency.
National level COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake percentages for eligible general practice (GP) patients are published weekly by the UK Health Security Agency for the 2024 to 2025 season. This includes a descriptive analysis comparing weekly uptake percentages to the same week in the previous season. The seasonal uptake reports for 2024 to 2025 are available at the following link:
Flu vaccine uptake data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is published monthly. Healthcare worker data also includes COVID-19 vaccine uptake data. The data for the 2024 to 2025 season is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures
Regional level COVID-19 data for the Autumn 2024 campaign is published by the Office of National Statistics in the National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports for the 2024 to 2025 season, which are available at the following link:
https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/dfae04aa7f624cdd89af6903c76c0056/explore
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the powers of Coroners to include the investigation of stillbirths.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice jointly consulted on proposals to provide coroners with new powers to investigate term stillbirths in 2019. In 2023, a factual summary of responses to the consultation was published. The Government will provide an update on next steps at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that private ambulance service personnel on NHS contracts receive (a) recognition and (b) honours.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the honours system of the United Kingdom, anyone can receive an award, and anyone can nominate someone if they demonstrate the exceptional contribution the person has made.
Recognition for those working in the private sector is primarily a matter for their employers.