Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist services are available for people with Bipolar disorder.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing approximately £1 billion by 2023/24 to increase access to high quality care in the community for people with severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder. Through the new models of care provided by integrated care systems, services will be based on the needs of individuals, rather than solely on diagnoses. This follows feedback received from those with severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, during the development of the community mental health framework.
Information on National Health Service expenditure on services and treatments specifically for people with bipolar disorder is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including (a) Nalmefene and (b) Naltrexone as part of an alcohol harm reduction strategy.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends nalmefene as an option for reducing alcohol consumption for people with alcohol dependence who have a high drinking risk level, without physical withdrawal symptoms and who do not require immediate detoxification. NICE also recommends oral naltrexone for harmful drinkers and people with mild dependence who have not responded to psychological interventions alone, and for people with moderate and severe dependence, following successful withdrawal. NICE recommends that these medications should only be prescribed along with psychosocial intervention.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is developing United Kingdom guidelines for the clinical management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, which will include guidance on prescribing nalmefene and naltrexone. Publication of these guidelines is expected later this year.