Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of 16 to 59 year olds in England are not exempt from the prescription charge.
Answered by George Freeman
This information is not collected centrally. However, we estimate 90% of prescription items are dispensed without charge.
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost to the NHS of (a) a 12 minute GP consultation and (b) a walk-in accident and emergency visit without treatment was in the last period for which figures are available.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The estimated average unit cost of a general practitioner (GP) consultation (which can include treatment) lasting 11.7 minutes1 is £37; and an attendance at a type 4 Accident and Emergency department (National Health Service walk-in centres) requiring no admission to hospital, no investigation and no significant treatment has a unit cost of £33.
Sources:
Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2013, Personal Social Services Research Unit University of Kent
2013-14 reference costs2, Department of Health
Notes:
1. Includes direct care staff costs but excludes qualification costs.
2. Reference costs are the average unit cost to National Health Service (NHS) trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients.
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to the NHS on its obligation to provide interpreter services.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The provision of language support, including interpretation and translation, is driven by the requirement for all National Health Service organisations to comply with the public sector equality duty. As public sector organisations, NHS bodies have a duty to ensure that all people have equal access to the information and services that they provide.
The provision of interpretation and translation services by NHS bodies is a matter for local determination based on the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.
Section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 also requires those who provide a service to the public or a section of the public to make a ‘reasonable adjustment’ so that disabled people are not placed at a ‘substantial disadvantage’ compared to non-disabled people, this includes communication and provision of information.
As part of their commitment to improving the experience of patients using NHS services, empowering people to be equal partners in their own care and help reduce unacceptable variation in the quality of reasonable adjustments, NHS England is developing an Information Standard for the provision of accessible, personalised information.
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of prescriptions issued for paracetamol in England in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
Information on the number and net ingredient cost of prescription items for paracetamol1 dispensed in the community in England is in the table.
Year | Prescription Items (000s) | Net Ingredient Cost (£000s) |
2012-13 | 21,963.2 | 73,793.9 |
2013-14 | 22,616.5 | 83,146.6 |
1Excludes combination medicines. Includes multiple packs per item and a range of formulations, including those produced specific to patient needs
Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system provided by the NHS Business Services Authority
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions have been issued for paracetamol in England in each of the last two years.
Answered by George Freeman
Information on the number and net ingredient cost of prescription items for paracetamol1 dispensed in the community in England is in the table.
Year | Prescription Items (000s) | Net Ingredient Cost (£000s) |
2012-13 | 21,963.2 | 73,793.9 |
2013-14 | 22,616.5 | 83,146.6 |
1Excludes combination medicines. Includes multiple packs per item and a range of formulations, including those produced specific to patient needs
Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system provided by the NHS Business Services Authority
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support and promote Self Care Week which runs from 17 to 23 November 2014; and what promotional materials he is disseminating in the NHS to support this campaign.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department supports Self-Care week and my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe), gave the opening presentation at the 16th Self-Care Forum. In his speech, Earl Howe promoted the use of the self-care leaflets, posters and social media messages disseminated by the Self-Care Forum. He also highlighted that self-care information and guidance (including fact sheets for 13 common ailments) is available on NHS Choices, Patient UK and a number of other websites.
Asked by: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has had from the British Dental Association on the recent practices of the General Dental Council; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Since May 2014, when the Professional Standards Authority announced that it was going to carry out an investigation on the General Dental Council (GDC), the Department has received a number of representations from the British Dental Association (BDA) regarding the recent practices of the GDC.
As at 14 November 2014, these representations included a letter from Dr Mick Armstrong, Chair of the BDA. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality (Earl Howe) provided a response on 28 July 2014 and I provided a response on 1 August 2014 regarding the competence of the GDC and the annual retention fee.
My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison), on 22 October 2014, also met with the BDA where they discussed wider regulatory issues facing dentists. Ministers have regular contact with the BDA and are aware of their concerns regarding the GDC fee increase.