Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the NHS Car Parking guidance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Car Parking guidance was last updated in October 2022 under the previous government. The Department has no plans to review the guidance. Free hospital car parking is available to groups most in-need, including National Health Service staff working overnight. All trusts that charge for hospital car parking have implemented this policy.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to next review the NHS Car Parking guidance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Car Parking guidance was last updated in October 2022 under the previous government. The Department has no plans to review the guidance. Free hospital car parking is available to groups most in-need, including National Health Service staff working overnight. All trusts that charge for hospital car parking have implemented this policy.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase the staffing budget for the East of England Ambulance Service.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The allocation of National Health Service funding, including local staffing budgets, is set by NHS England.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending NHS Outer London Weighting to (a) Hertsmere and (b) Watford.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is for the Pay Review Bodies to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements, and on the value of such supplements. As this is reflected in terms and conditions of service, any 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 for staff in that area.
In areas where no supplement exists, NHS employers can introduce a supplement where they feel there is evidence to support its introduction.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the NHS funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, will be allocated to ambulance services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held by the Department. The future allocation of National Health Service funding announced in the Autumn Budget will be decided by NHS England.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 adequacy of GP provision in Hertsmere.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to fixing the the crisis in the National Health Service, to ensure that patients receive the care they deserve, and to secure the long-term sustainability of the NHS.
We will increase the proportion of funding for GPs and shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals, and into the community. We have committed to end the 8:00am scramble for GP appointments by introducing a modern booking system. Additionally, the Government will train thousands more GPs across the country to increase capacity, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and take the pressure off those currently working in the system.
We will introduce and trial new Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring vital health and care services together under one roof, ensuring healthcare is closer to home and that patients receive the integrated, patient centered services we all want to see.
Hertsmere sits within the NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 5.6% lower than the national average.
We are pleased to announce that newly qualified GPs will be included in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment with additional funding over 2024/25. This is a step on the journey while the Government works with the profession to identify longer term solutions to GP unemployment and general practice sustainability.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he (a) has reviewed and (b) plans to review the (i) provision and (ii) location of (A) inpatient and (B) outpatient health services in South Hertfordshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to review the provision and location of inpatient and outpatient health services in South Hertfordshire. Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that the provision and location of both inpatient and outpatient health services meets the demand of their local population.