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Written Question
Miscarriage: Health Services
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Women's Health Strategy will include The Lancet series recommendations from Miscarriage Matters, published April 2021, that (a) every miscarriage should be acknowledged and recorded, and the figures should be published and (b) there should be consistent miscarriage care available 24 hours a day in every area of the country.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

We will consider the Lancet Series’ recommendations on miscarriage during the development of the Women’s Health Strategy. Fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and post-natal support will be included in the forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy for England, which will be published later this year.


Written Question
Pregnancy Loss Review
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scope of the Pregnancy Loss Review is; and how that review will relate to the Women's Health Strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Pregnancy Loss Review was commissioned to consider the registration and certification of pregnancy loss occurring before 24 weeks gestation and on the quality of National Health Service care. The Review will make recommendations on improving the care and support women and families receive when experiencing a pre-24 week gestation baby loss. The Review’s terms of reference are available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693820/Pregnancy_Loss_Review_ToR_gov.uk.pdf

The Pregnancy Loss Review will be published in due course. The forthcoming Women’s Health Strategy will also consider pregnancy loss.


Written Question
Sleep Apnoea: Medical Equipment
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to accelerate the procurement of new Phillips CPAP machines, for the home treatment of sleep apnoea, in response to the worldwide field safety notice in place relating to certain Philips machines.

Answered by Gillian Keegan

The most recent data available from Philips shows that as of 23 May 2022, 7% of the Philips continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea registered as being in use by National Health Service patients have been replaced with new devices as part of the Philips ongoing remediation programme, with 93% of affected devices still in use. The Philips remediation programme aims to replace or repair all affected Philips CPAP machines affected by the field safety notice and registered as being in use within the next 12 months, with the proportions projected to be 50% replacement and 50% repair.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s clinical respiratory networks will assist with the coordination of the repair and replace programme at regional level with Philips and local providers. The decision to apply filters is subject to clinical review with each patient. Data on the number of filters provided for use with affected Philips CPAP devices is not collected centrally. New Philips CPAP machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea will be unavailable for purchase in the United Kingdom until Philips has completed the remediation programme. CPAP machines from alternative suppliers have been procured and are being supplied to NHS sleep services.


Written Question
Sleep Apnoea: Medical Equipment
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sleep apnoea patients using Phillips CPAP machines that are affected by the worldwide field safety notice relating to Philips machines are being provided with in line filters to mitigate the potential risks of degraded foam producing carcinogenic particles.

Answered by Gillian Keegan

The most recent data available from Philips shows that as of 23 May 2022, 7% of the Philips continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea registered as being in use by National Health Service patients have been replaced with new devices as part of the Philips ongoing remediation programme, with 93% of affected devices still in use. The Philips remediation programme aims to replace or repair all affected Philips CPAP machines affected by the field safety notice and registered as being in use within the next 12 months, with the proportions projected to be 50% replacement and 50% repair.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s clinical respiratory networks will assist with the coordination of the repair and replace programme at regional level with Philips and local providers. The decision to apply filters is subject to clinical review with each patient. Data on the number of filters provided for use with affected Philips CPAP devices is not collected centrally. New Philips CPAP machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea will be unavailable for purchase in the United Kingdom until Philips has completed the remediation programme. CPAP machines from alternative suppliers have been procured and are being supplied to NHS sleep services.


Written Question
Sleep Apnoea: Medical Equipment
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of the NHS’s stock of Phillips CPAP machines affected by the worldwide field safety notice in place relating to certain Philips machines are to be (a) replaced and (b) refurbished in the next 12 months.

Answered by Gillian Keegan

The most recent data available from Philips shows that as of 23 May 2022, 7% of the Philips continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea registered as being in use by National Health Service patients have been replaced with new devices as part of the Philips ongoing remediation programme, with 93% of affected devices still in use. The Philips remediation programme aims to replace or repair all affected Philips CPAP machines affected by the field safety notice and registered as being in use within the next 12 months, with the proportions projected to be 50% replacement and 50% repair.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s clinical respiratory networks will assist with the coordination of the repair and replace programme at regional level with Philips and local providers. The decision to apply filters is subject to clinical review with each patient. Data on the number of filters provided for use with affected Philips CPAP devices is not collected centrally. New Philips CPAP machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea will be unavailable for purchase in the United Kingdom until Philips has completed the remediation programme. CPAP machines from alternative suppliers have been procured and are being supplied to NHS sleep services.


Written Question
Sleep Apnoea: Medical Equipment
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the NHS’s stock of Philips CPAP machines for home treatment of sleep apnoea are (a) with patients as of 24 May 2022 and (b) affected by the worldwide field safety notice in place relating to certain Philips machines.

Answered by Gillian Keegan

The most recent data available from Philips shows that as of 23 May 2022, 7% of the Philips continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea registered as being in use by National Health Service patients have been replaced with new devices as part of the Philips ongoing remediation programme, with 93% of affected devices still in use. The Philips remediation programme aims to replace or repair all affected Philips CPAP machines affected by the field safety notice and registered as being in use within the next 12 months, with the proportions projected to be 50% replacement and 50% repair.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s clinical respiratory networks will assist with the coordination of the repair and replace programme at regional level with Philips and local providers. The decision to apply filters is subject to clinical review with each patient. Data on the number of filters provided for use with affected Philips CPAP devices is not collected centrally. New Philips CPAP machines for the home treatment of sleep apnoea will be unavailable for purchase in the United Kingdom until Philips has completed the remediation programme. CPAP machines from alternative suppliers have been procured and are being supplied to NHS sleep services.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Research
Wednesday 25th May 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what basis the decision was made to stop funding the ZOE Study; and if he will consider recommissioning the study.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Following the publication of ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’ on 21 February 2022, the Government will continue to monitor the virus through maintaining surveillance studies such as the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey and other sources, including genomic sequencing.  Moving forward we will therefore no longer be funding a number of studies, including the Zoe Study.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Refugees
Tuesday 22nd March 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the additional £3 million of funding allocated to the NHS under Operation Warm Welcome has been spent on mental health support for Afghan refugees in the UK.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The information is not available in the format requested. The Government provided an additional £3 million for refugees arriving under the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to access healthcare and register with a general practitioner. This funding is facilitating an enhanced health assessment, including mental health needs, trauma and any safeguarding concerns.


Written Question
Hospitals: Restraint Techniques
Tuesday 22nd March 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all data his Department holds on the use of restraint on acute child medical wards.

Answered by Gillian Keegan

The Department does not hold data on the use of restraint on acute child medical wards.


Written Question
Abortion
Monday 14th March 2022

Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is for suspending early medical abortion at home services in the context of evidence from clinical bodies and peer review studies which have found that service to be safe and effective.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Government’s view is that the provision of early medical abortion should return to pre-COVID-19 arrangements. We have been clear that the approval was put in place on 30 March 2020 to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and ensure continued access to abortion services. This was made on a temporary basis and was time limited for two years, or when the temporary Coronavirus Act 2020 provisions end.

Due to the success the national vaccination programme and having fully considered all the responses to the consultation, we have decided that face to face services should resume.