Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting lists of young people waiting for braces.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
More National Health Service orthodontic care is being delivered, with the Units of Orthodontic Activity having increased by 5.7% when compared to pre-pandemic figures, from 4.1 million in 2018/19 to 4.4 million in 2022/23. This suggests more NHS orthodontic care is being commissioned and delivered.
From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups, to undertake oral health need assessments to identify areas of need, and to determine the priorities for investment.
NHS England has published guidance to support commissioners in taking advantage of the opportunities offered through additional services, which includes orthodontic services, and further services, by using flexible commissioning to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce NHS waiting lists in (a) the North West and (b) Liverpool.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is one of this Prime Minister’s top priorities. To reduce the National Health Service waiting list, the Department plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. This funding will expand capacity through creating a new network of community diagnostic centres and maximising all available independent sector capacity.
In addition, we are managing demand through specialised advice in primary care and giving patients more control over where they receive their care. We are also increasing productivity through transforming outpatient services, developing new surgical hubs to increase theatre productivity, and working actively with trusts to support and challenge on their performance.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to make medicinal cannabis more accessible to those who need it.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Licensed cannabis-based medicines are routinely available on the National Health Service. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines.
The Government continues to call on manufacturers to invest in research and clinical trials to prove if their products are safe and effective and offers scientific and research advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NICE.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 restrict off-label prescription of diabetes medication.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of a supply issue with Ozempic. We have issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July 2023, issued a National Patient Safety Alert with advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine. Our guidance is clear that glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist medicines, such as Ozempic, that are solely licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines. We have also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for patients in the UK, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 increase stocks of diabetes medication.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of a supply issue with Ozempic. We have issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July 2023, issued a National Patient Safety Alert with advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine. Our guidance is clear that glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist medicines, such as Ozempic, that are solely licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines. We have also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for patients in the UK, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 rough sleepers are not discharged from hospital back onto the streets.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to promoting safe and timely discharge for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, to appropriate accommodation. During 2020/21 and 2021/22, the Department, through the Shared Outcomes Fund, provided a total of £15.85 million to 17 sites to pilot Out of Hospital Care Models supporting people at risk of homelessness.
These models provide interim accommodation and care and support while full assessments of individual needs are carried out. Feedback from sites suggests these models are important in supporting discharge and maintain flow.
Whilst full evaluation is still underway, there are positive preliminary findings, including savings to the National Health Service and other public services due to the programme. A final evaluation of the programme will be delivered in December 2023 and from this we will share learning to encourage local areas to adopt similar models.
In addition, we will continue to work to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Duty to Refer people believed to be homeless or at risk of homelessness, from NHS services to local authorities with their consent.
Improving how discharges are arranged for people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, will also be supported by our wider work to improve discharge processes. This includes ensuring effective care transfer hubs are in place for every system ahead of winter to coordinate and support timely discharge to the right setting for people with more complex needs.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many integrated care boards have made specific reference to (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping populations in their localised strategy.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Joint Forward Plans (JFPs) are developed by integrated care boards (ICBs) and their partner National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts as their local plans for delivering healthcare services in their local area. Under the Health and Care Act 2022, JFPs are not assured nationally and so this information is not held centrally.
The Health and Care Act 2022 requires ICBs to address in their JFP how they will discharge their general statutory duties, including their duty to reduce health inequalities, which is outlined in section 14Z35 of the Act.
NHS England supports ICBs to address health inequalities through the Core20PLUS5 approach, which includes people experiencing homelessness. More information on Core20PLUS5 is available at the following link:
NHS England has issued guidance to ICBs on developing their JFPs, including access to support on addressing health inequalities. Therefore, every JFP should address tackling health inequalities, including for those experiencing homelessness, either directly or by reference to an existing agreed local strategy. More information on JFPs is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/joint-forward-plan/
JFPs can be found on ICB websites, and should be considered alongside local joint health and wellbeing strategies produced by the Health and Wellbeing Board and integrated care strategies developed by the integrated care partnership. Guidance on the preparation of integrated care strategies prepared by the Department highlights the importance of addressing the needs of inclusion health groups, and more information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require all integrated care boards to make reference to (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping populations in their local health strategies.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Health and Care Act 2022 promotes local area autonomy to allow local areas to develop their own priorities to meet their local area needs. The Secretary of State would like local areas to assess their own needs and make policies that work best for their local population.
To support local areas, NHS England has published guidance on the development of Joint Forward Plans and the Department has published guidance on the development of integrated care strategies. Both reference inclusion health groups, which includes people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 impact of waiting times for MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound treatment on a patients quality of life.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment of the waiting times for patients (who are eligible) for Transcranial magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
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 merits of providing funding for people to access treatment abroad that is not available on the NHS.
Answered by Will Quince
We have no current plans to make an assessment. However, commissioners may choose to do this for individuals in exceptional circumstances. The reciprocal healthcare agreements that the United Kingdom has with the EU and Switzerland supports planned treatment abroad, when it would normally be available on the NHS, through the “S2 scheme”. Individuals must meet certain other eligibility criteria, such as experiencing undue delay when waiting for treatment.