Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 NHS dentist provision in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Bradford West. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Bradford West.
The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.
National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 help support young people with eating disorders in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Bradford West. Ensuring easier access to general practice will expand this route to access mental health services.
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health and eating disorder services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Bradford West. We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 help improve access to mental health services in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In September we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will increase access to National Health Service mental health and eating disorder services, including in Bradford West. Ensuring easier access to general practice will expand this route to access mental health services.
Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to expand NHS mental health and eating disorder services for adults, children and young people in England, including in Bradford West. We will invest approximately £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness including eating disorders, by 2023/24 and an additional £53 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity in the 70 community eating disorder teams.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 help improve access to NHS dental services in Bradford West constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Bradford West. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Bradford West.
The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9 December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We welcome the Committee’s report. In our response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report, we set out where we agreed with its recommendations or where we are taking forward the recommendations in part or in full. We will be considering the recommendations in full during the development of a new long term cross-Government plan for mental health. We are launching a wide-ranging discussion paper and call for evidence to support development of the plan. The Committee’s inquiry and evidence from witnesses will be considered during this process.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice he has given to pharmacies on the distribution of covid-19 lateral flow tests that are not for resale after 31 March 2022; and whether they will be required to provide those lateral flow tests to people for free.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Pharmacies have been advised to distribute all their remaining stock before the end of the service on the 31 March 2022 to minimise the amount of surplus stock. There will be no process in place for collecting unused kits from pharmacies at the end of the service and the UK Health Security Agency are discouraging the destruction of test kits. Pharmacy teams can use their knowledge of their local communities to proactively distribute test kits. This may include distribution to people who are National Health Service staff, carers, the clinically vulnerable, digitally excluded or anyone who in the professional opinion of the pharmacist would benefit.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice the Government has provided to pharmacies regarding the distribution of free lateral flow tests that are not for resale after 31 March 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Pharmacies have been advised to distribute all their remaining stock before the end of the service on the 31 March 2022 to minimise the amount of surplus stock. There will be no process in place for collecting unused kits from pharmacies at the end of the service and the UK Health Security Agency are discouraging the destruction of test kits. Pharmacy teams can use their knowledge of their local communities to proactively distribute test kits. This may include distribution to people who are National Health Service staff, carers, the clinically vulnerable, digitally excluded or anyone who in the professional opinion of the pharmacist would benefit.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 for the number of cases of Covid-19 in care homes to increase as a result of the ending of free lateral flow tests.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The testing regimes for adult social care from 1 April 2022 are currently under review. Further details will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
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 merits of providing covid-19 recovery certificates for UK citizens who desire to travel abroad.
Answered by Maggie Throup
COVID-19 recovery certificates for United Kingdom citizens can be obtained 10 days after a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test demonstrating recovery from infection within the previous 180 days. The certificates are already available for those aged 16 years old and over in the digital NHS COVID Pass for travel via the NHS App and NHS.UK. A digital solution to allow those aged 12 years old and over access to recovery certificates will be made available shortly.