Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 strengthen dementia diagnostic pathways.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To support the implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed. NHS England has also supported the development of resources for integrated care boards (ICBs), including an integrated care system self-assessment framework, to support the design of integrated dementia pathways. NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each.
NHS England is hosting a series of webinars to share best practice in dementia for staff in memory assessment services, primary care, urgent and emergency care, and ICBs. To aid improvement in dementia diagnosis rate performance, NHS England has also initiated a regional delivery group to address variation and enhance diagnosis rates.
The Department delivers research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into diagnosing dementia, including investing in two dementia and neurodegeneration Policy Research Units to further boost evidence for policymaking. One of the units is undertaking a project to investigate the United Kingdom’s healthcare system’s readiness for using blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers at scale outside of specialist services.
The NIHR-funded CONGA trial is also seeking to improve the diagnostic process for dementia, providing more accurate evidence for clinicians and helping patients to get appropriate treatment quickly.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 effectiveness of the NICE process on the wider societal cost of dementia when appraising new dementia treatments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops its guidance independently and based on an assessment of the available evidence. In developing its recommendations, NICE considers all health-related costs and benefits for patients and caregivers, in line with its established methods and processes. NICE does not consider wider societal costs and benefits.
Any changes to NICE methods to broaden its cost-benefit analysis and incorporate wider societal costs would be both methodologically and ethically challenging. Such changes could have unintended consequences, potentially leading to fewer treatments being recommended for populations that are older, economically inactive, or have greater care needs.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 integrate the work of (a) NICE, (b) NHS England, (c) health industry representatives and (d) the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on adopting new dementia treatments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government wants patients to benefit from rapid access to safe and effective new medicines in a way that represents value to the taxpayer. The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reviews medicinal products for quality, safety and efficacy and if satisfied, will provide an appropriate marketing authorisation or licence for the United Kingdom, detailing the safe use and target population. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. Wherever possible the NICE aims to publish recommendations on new medicines around the time of licensing.
With the consent of the marketing authorisation holders, the NICE and the MHRA have piloted enhanced information sharing arrangements for the new disease modifying treatments for dementia. The pilots have enabled the organisations to fully align their processes and announce marketing authorisation decisions and draft recommendations on the same day for the first two licensed disease modifying treatments. The MHRA, the NICE, NHS England, and counterparts in the other UK nations are working closely together to ensure that the NHS is prepared for the rollout of any licensed and NICE-recommended new dementia treatments.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to winter fuel payments on hospital admissions of older people in (a) Epping Forest constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An impact assessment of the cut in winter fuel payments on hospital admissions of older people in Epping Forest and nationally this winter has not been produced. The Government has taken action to ensure low-income households are protected this winter.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 help protect older people from health impacts of cold weather.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The UK Health Security Agency publishes the Adverse Weather and Health Plan for England, which sets out a framework for action to protect the population, including the elderly, from harm to their health from adverse weather, including excess cold.
With hospitals facing record pressures this winter, we advise elderly and vulnerable people to be careful if heading out in the snow and ice, and to try and keep as warm as possible. We urge people to continue to use NHS 111 if they need advice and support for health conditions, and only use 999 or attend accident and emergency in life-threatening emergencies.
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health. Keeping people warm and well at home, and improving the quality of new and existing homes, will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives, and thereby reduce pressure on the National Health Service.
The 2021 fuel poverty strategy is currently under review. In the meantime, the Government has kickstarted delivery of our Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next three years. Support is also available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on how many abattoirs there were in (a) England and (b) the UK in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
On 1 April 2023, there were 207 approved abattoirs in England, and a further 42 in Wales and Northern Ireland. On 1 April 2024, there were 200 approved abattoirs in England, and a further 41 in Wales and Northern Ireland. The Food Standards Agency does not hold information on the number of abattoirs in Scotland, as the competent authority is Food Standards Scotland.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 ensure hospitals are able to meet increased demand as a result of increased hospital admissions for flu.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The national approach on priorities for winter planning was issued by NHS England on 16 September, setting out the key steps to be taken to support the delivery of high-quality care for patients this winter. The Minister of State for Health also made a statement on winter preparedness in the House of Commons on 18 December 2024.
The National Health Service is supporting vaccination efforts for COVID-19, flu, and the respiratory syncytial virus, ensuring that local partners promote population uptake, and that NHS trusts ensure eligible staff have access to vaccinations.
In addition, due to the action taken by the Government this winter, NHS hospitals will be free of strikes and focused on caring for patients.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in cases of flu on NHS healthcare provision.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
During winter there is an increase in hospital admissions from seasonal respiratory conditions such as flu. This can impact hospital occupancy and the flow of patients through hospitals, which in turn impacts on accident and emergency, and ambulance services. Respiratory conditions can also impact the number of staff absences, which can further increase pressure on the provision of health care.
This year the number of beds occupied with flu has been higher than last year. The latest data shows there were, on average, 4,693 patients in hospital with flu in the week ending 12 January 2025, above the peak figure of 2,478 reported during winter 2023/24.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 ensure rural and semi-rural communities have access to pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for understanding the health needs of their areas and for commissioning services to meet those needs. Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served and must keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform ICBs when reviewing applications for National Health Service pharmacies.
The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to further support pharmacies in more remote areas. Additionally, in rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 tackle the sale of illegal vapes.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is taking concerted effort to tackle the import and sale of illicit vapes. This includes investing up to £3 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support National Trading Standards to deliver a range of enforcement interventions, including the removal of illicit products from the market and intervention at ports. The Government will expand on this by investing a further £30 million in 2025/26 to support tobacco and vapes enforcement action, £10 million of which will go towards bolstering Trading Standards’ ability to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes.
Alongside additional investment we are also taking legislative steps to tackle the illicit market. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides powers to introduce a new retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and to establish a new registration system for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products entering the United Kingdom market. We are also introducing a ban on the sale and supply of single use vapes under environmental legislation.