Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 ensure equitable access to less invasive treatments for structural heart diseases throughout the regions of England.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The NHS England Specialised Cardiac Improvement Programme is working to streamline pathways for patients so they can access specialist teams able to offer advice on the full range of treatment options supported by evidence of effectiveness and long term patient outcomes.
NHS England Specialised Commissioning considers it is important that patients are aware of all treatment options and this includes access to less invasive treatments, where clinically appropriate. NHS England is currently considering less invasive interventions for structural heart disease as part of its 2019/20 clinical policy pipeline.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging manufacturers to reduce levels of nicotine in all cigarettes to reduce dependency.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
No such assessment has been made. The European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) sets the maximum nicotine emission level at one milligram of nicotine per cigarette. The United Kingdom transposed the TPD through the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), which came into force on 20 May 2016.
The Government will meet its obligation to review the TRPR before 20 May 2021 and will also review where the UK’s exit from the EU offers us opportunities to re-appraise current regulation to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to have eye clinic liaison officers deployed at (a) Royal Stoke University Hospital and (b) all hospitals in England with ophthalmology departments.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Government recognises the profound impact that sight loss can have on a person’s life and the important and valuable role that Eye Clinic Liaison Officers can play in supporting patients at the point of diagnosis of sight loss and beyond. For those newly diagnosed with sight loss, access to information about appropriate support and rehabilitation services is vital.
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning all secondary care ophthalmology services, including eye clinics and their staffing. Decisions on the provision of services that meet the needs of their local population should be made locally, rather than at a national level.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that Royal Stoke University Hospital currently employs two part-time members of staff to deliver the Eye Clinical Liaison Officer role.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national screening programme for structural heart diseases.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has not formally reviewed the evidence for a national screening programme for structural heart disease. However, the UK NSC welcomes new topic proposals through its annual call for topics from September to December each year. Information on how to submit a new proposal can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 regulate the cannabidiol market; and whether he plans to create a new medical model for the (a) tetrahydrocannabinol and (b) cannabidiol sectors.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Given that cannabidiol extracts are found in many products and not just in food, Departmental officials are also working with other Government departments to assess all the relevant issues. We will consider evidence to develop the most suitable approach for regulation and compliance. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will continue to engage with stakeholders on how the Government can achieve this.
On 1 November 2018, the Government changed the law to enable specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use. This includes products containing tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. The regulations use the existing regulatory frameworks for medicines and the misuse of controlled drugs, an approach which the Government believes is proportionate and evidence-based, ensuring that clinicians can access these products whilst minimising the risk of misuse, harm and diversion.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with local authorities, businesses, consumers and other stakeholders to determine how to regulate the cannabidiol market and achieve compliance in a proportionate manner.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 estimate of the number of people in the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism who have been in an Assessment and Treatment Unit for three months or longer; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The information is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the number of GPs in the UK per capita, (b) time it takes to obtain an appointment and (c) amount of time GPs spend with patients.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Health is a devolved matter. As such, the answer refers to England only.
There is no recommendation for how many patients a general practitioner (GP) should have as the demand each patient places on their GP is different and can be affected by various factors, including rurality and patient demographics. When considering the ratio of GPs to patients it is important to consider GPs as part of the wider multidisciplinary team. Getting the skills mix right in general practice is critical in addressing workload pressures as well as in delivering appropriate patient care. NHS England has committed to providing funding towards up to 20,000 additional staff by 2023/24.
The Government has committed to growing the workforce by 5,000 additional full time equivalent doctors in English general practice as soon as possible. NHS England and Health Education England are working together with the profession to increase the GP workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession and encourage GPs to return to practice.
The national data for time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment in days is attached. A 12-month average from June 2018 - May 2019 has also been presented. NHS Digital’s ‘Appointments in General Practice’ data is published monthly with a two-month time lag.
The appointments data does not differentiate between emergency and routine appointments in general practice and the ‘time from booking to appointment’ does not take into consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions.
The data on GP appointments are from a new data collection and are still experimental therefore the data and collection method are still being refined and improved. Whilst these early datasets published by NHS Digital do not yet represent a comprehensive picture, they are an important key step in understanding pressures on primary care. NHS England, NHS Digital and the Government are working closely with GPs to understand how the data on GP appointments can be refined to improve the overall picture of primary care activity.
The average GP consultation time with a patient is determined by each practice, depending on the needs and demands of their patient list. The amount of time GPs spend with their patients is not collected or held centrally.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase the rate of retention of GPs.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
In January 2019 we announced in the NHS Long Term Plan that we are investing an extra £4.5 billion in primary and community care by 2024. This was followed by the five-year general practitioner (GP) contract, which will provide greater financial security and certainty for practices to plan ahead and will see billions of extra investment for improved access, expanded services at local practices, the development of primary care networks and longer appointments for patients who need them.
To address workload pressures and building on the success in expanding the wider workforce, the new five-year contract for general practice will see funding towards up to 20,000 extra staff working in GP practices, such as physiotherapists and pharmacists. This will help free up doctors to spend more time with the patients who need them.
The interim People Plan published in June 2019 set out the actions the National Health Service will take now to secure the right staff, leadership and culture it needs to deliver the Long Term Plan and high quality, safe care. A final People Plan will be published shortly after the conclusion of the Spending Review, once there is further clarity on education and training budgets. The final People Plan will set out a broader strategy for a sustainable general practice workforce, through both recruitment and retention programmes.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 constituents with learning disabilities or autism, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, are able to access inpatient facilities close to home.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Adult non-secure inpatient services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism in Newcastle-Under-Lyme are commissioned by the Newcastle-Under-Lyme Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Local CCGs should ensure that patients with a learning disability and/or autism have access to an inpatient bed when they need it.
Adult secure inpatient services and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Tier 4 inpatient beds for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism in Newcastle-Under-Lyme are commissioned by the NHS England Specialised Commissioning Team in the West Midlands, which will always look at prioritising meeting clinical needs as locally as possible.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Global Alzheimers and Dementia Action Alliance's report, Forgotten in a Crisis: Addressing Dementia in Humanitarian Response, published in May 2019.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The UK supports the World Health Organisation’s Global Action Plan on Dementia. In the Challenge on Dementia 2020, we committed to tackle the global challenge of dementia in partnership with Governments and organisations across the world.
The Report ‘Forgotten in a Crisis: Addressing Dementia in Humanitarian Response’ plays an important role in highlighting the issues people with dementia face in humanitarian settings. We will make relevant Government departments aware of the Report.