Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on access to fertility treatment for same sex couples.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on access to fertility treatment for same sex couples.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 that patients continue to receive ADHD medication without cost when their shared care agreement has come to an unpredicted end.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to medication services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Services are underpinned by relevant guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice.
It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan to manage ADHD, in discussion with their patient. This decision is based on the clinician’s expertise regarding treatment options, evidence, risk and benefits and the patient’s personal circumstances as part of a shared decision-making process. The NICE guideline on the diagnosis and management of ADHD provides recommendations that healthcare professionals should account for when considering treatment options.
Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP).
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. Shared care is not part of the GP contract and as such, participation is voluntary. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. A GP who has previously agreed to a shared care agreement but can no longer support it must provide a clear rationale for their decision. Both the GP and the specialist clinician share responsibility for ensuring continuity of care for the patient.
ADHD medication prescribed by an NHS doctor is subject to prescription charging, unless the patient meets the criteria for a prescription charge exemption. This is the case regardless of a shared care agreement being in place.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish rates of sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983 by diagnosis of (a) bipolar and (b) other mental health conditions for each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An individual is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 if they pose a serious risk to themselves or others and they require care in a hospital setting. Detentions are not made based on diagnoses of severe mental health conditions.
NHS England is currently exploring a methodology to analyse diagnoses of individuals detained under the Mental Health Act and initial results are expected to be published in May 2025. Therefore, the information requested is not available for the last five years.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training is provided to early intervention in psychosis teams on (a) recognising and (b) supporting people with bipolar.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise how important it is for individuals with bipolar to get the right care and support they need. NHS England commissions training for staff working in early intervention in psychosis services to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy for both psychosis and bipolar disorder.
Mental health professionals are required to complete core training as part of their roles, which includes information on awareness of bipolar disorder and how it presents. The comprehensive assessment of at-risk mental states is an assessment tool used by mental health professionals and researchers to identify individuals who are at high risk of developing psychosis.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 merits of extending Early Intervention in Psychosis services to include people with bipolar who do not experience psychosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early Intervention in Psychosis services provide evidence-based, specialist interventions, and treatment for individuals presenting with psychosis. These services recognise that bipolar disorder diagnoses can be uncertain and are therefore available to individuals irrespective of their diagnosis, including individuals experiencing bipolar 1 and bipolar 2.
The aim is for individuals who experience psychosis as part of a manic episode to be seen by an early intervention in psychosis service within two weeks of referral. If an individual experiences mood disturbance over time, bipolar disorder may be identified and treated.
Early Intervention in Psychosis services are not affective disorder services. It would therefore not be appropriate to extend services to individuals who are not experiencing psychosis. Individuals with bipolar 2 who do not experience mania or psychosis will receive support and treatment from primary care and community mental health teams as appropriate.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 establish specialist care pathways for people with bipolar to (a) improve treatment and (b) reduce the levels of misdiagnosis
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that there can often be a long time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder because of under-reporting, the episodic nature of the condition, and the prevalence of comorbid conditions in individuals.
We are committed to increasing access to community mental health services for people with severe mental illness, including those with bipolar disorder. The community mental health framework, developed by NHS England, sets out the National Health Service’s vision for transforming community mental health services. This includes ensuring that services are needs led and that individuals do not require a specific diagnosis or care pathway to access care.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 reduce the average time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder in line with early intervention targets for other conditions
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that there can often be a long time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder because of under-reporting, the episodic nature of the condition, and the prevalence of comorbid conditions in individuals.
We are committed to increasing access to community mental health services for people with severe mental illness, including those with bipolar disorder. The community mental health framework, developed by NHS England, sets out the National Health Service’s vision for transforming community mental health services. This includes ensuring that services are needs led and that individuals do not require a specific diagnosis or care pathway to access care.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 7 May 2024 to 24262, whether the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot will conclude in March 2025; and what his planned timetable is for assessing the findings of the pilot.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot will conclude in March 2025. We are continuing to seek feedback from the pilot, which will capture key insights and learnings to help inform the feasibility and development of a future pathway. This will inform a wider evaluation of IDAP. We will complete this evaluation soon after the conclusion of the pilot and intend to publish a report in spring.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 tackle the public health risks associated with high levels of nitrogen oxide pollution from diesel vehicles.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Despite significant progress, air pollution remains a significant environmental threat to human health. Leading our Health Mission, the Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government, including with the Department for Transport, to promote a reduction in the health harms of air pollution.
Tackling the public health risks associated with air pollution involves reducing concentrations of pollutants where people live, work and play. Local authorities have an important role in identifying and implementing the local measures needed to achieve legal air quality limits and clean up the air we breathe. The NO2 programme has provided £575 million to support local authorities to address nitrogen dioxide pollution and achieve compliance with legal limits in the shortest possible time, supporting measures such as Clean Air Zones, traffic management improvements and vehicle upgrade schemes, and recently agreeing Greater Manchester’s £86 million Clean Air Plan.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 potential impact of excess diesel emissions from vehicles using defeat devices on (a) the prevalence of respiratory diseases and (b) public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Diesel vehicles significantly impact air pollution in the United Kingdom, primarily through emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and particulate matter. Poor air quality is one of the largest environmental risks to public health in the UK, and epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution, over years or lifetimes, reduces life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Short-term exposure, over hours or days, to elevated levels of air pollution can also cause a range of health impacts, including effects on lung function, exacerbation of asthma, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality.
The Department for Transport is responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. The programme is designed to ensure any non-compliance found is fixed as soon as reasonably possible, working together with manufacturers to achieve real-world impacts on air quality. There is no current assessment of the potential health impacts specifically related to the use of defeat devices in diesel vehicles.