Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 increase uptake of breast cancer screening in (a) Luton South constituency, (b) Luton Borough Council area and (c) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes clinical commissioning group.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In Luton, an additional 251 breast screening appointments are being provided in July 2022, with further appointments on Saturdays continuing in August where possible. In the next three months, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Breast Screening Service will revert from open to timed invitations to increase uptake. In West Hertfordshire, a trial has been introduced to re-invite women who did not attend or book an appointment during the pandemic. Following evaluation of this trial, a decision will be made to determine whether to deploy this approach in the region. In addition, four new screening vans with access lifts are being introduced to encourage uptake in women with mobility issues.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 reduce the waiting times to see a breast cancer specialist in (a) Luton South constituency, (b) Luton Borough Council area and (c) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group is working with local providers to amend the two week referral process to include further advice and guidance for breast pain to reduce unnecessary referrals. The breast service has been managing demand and capacity by providing additional sessions with existing staffing out of hours.
Additionally, the Bedford and Luton and Dunstable Hospitals have been awarded a share of the £160 million national accelerator initiative to introduce new technology to address backlogs and increase capacity for elective care. This will allow a further 36 patients to be treated each week at each hospital.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 fibroscans in primary care to improve early diagnosis of liver disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
While NHS England has undertaken some preliminary work to assess the introduction of fibroscan in primary care through community diagnostic centres, this is currently at a scoping stage.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 reduce liver disease mortality rates in areas of social deprivation.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Health Service ‘Better Health’ campaign aims to promote greater awareness of liver disease and its main causes. The former Public Health England published ‘Better care for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol/drug use conditions: A guide for commissioners and service providers’ which addresses potential issues of stigma and mistrust and other barriers preventing patients from accessing treatment.
From 1 April 2022, NHS England has introduced a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation measure to incentivise providers to improve earlier detection of liver disease for alcohol dependent in-patients. In addition, £27 million has been invested to establish specialist alcohol care teams in the 25% of hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce stigma in respect of liver disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Health Service ‘Better Health’ campaign aims to promote greater awareness of liver disease and its main causes. The former Public Health England published ‘Better care for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol/drug use conditions: A guide for commissioners and service providers’ which addresses potential issues of stigma and mistrust and other barriers preventing patients from accessing treatment.
From 1 April 2022, NHS England has introduced a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation measure to incentivise providers to improve earlier detection of liver disease for alcohol dependent in-patients. In addition, £27 million has been invested to establish specialist alcohol care teams in the 25% of hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 17 November 2021 for specified minutes, notes, and correspondence relating to Government contracts awarded to Randox Laboratories Ltd, HC1072, laid before the House on 3 February 2022, Ref 2, page 6, for what reason the entry in the register of ministerial meetings relating to the Testing Taskforce meeting 8 April 2020 does not list Randox or Peter Fitzgerald as attending; and whether his Department holds a minute of that meeting.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Departmental records confirm that a meeting of the COVD-19 Testing Taskforce took place on 8 April 2020 with Randox and Peter Fitzgerald by telephone. The Department holds a record of this call.
The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations. The transparency register will be updated.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds minutes of the meetings between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation and Abingdon Health on 1 April 2020, 29 April 2020 and 13 May 2020; and who attended those meetings on behalf of (a) his Department and (b) Abingdon Health.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department holds a minute of the telephone call on 1 April 2020. This was attended by the former the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Bethell), a private secretary, officials from the Department and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) and by Dr Chris Hand and Chris Yates of Abingdon Health.
The Department holds a minute of the telephone call on 29 April 2020. This was attended by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, a private secretary and Departmental and OLS officials. Dr Chris Hand and Chris Yates attended from Abingdon Health.
A telephone call took place on 13 May 2020, attended by the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, a private secretary and Departmental and OLS officials. Chris Yates and Dr Chris Hand attended from Abingdon Health. However, the Department does not hold a note of this telephone call.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
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 measure its carbon footprint.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department’s greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds a minute of the meeting between the Secretary of State for Health, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation, Lord Feldman and Oxford Nanopore regarding Nanopore covid-19 test development on 1 April 2020; whether officials or special advisers attended the meeting on behalf of his Department; and in what capacity Lord Feldman was attending.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department holds a minute of the meeting. The meeting was conducted by telephone, attended by Lord Bethell, his Private Secretary, Departmental and Cabinet Office officials. Lord Feldman of Elstree in an attended in an advisory capacity.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds a minute of the meetings between the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation, Lord O'Shaughnessy and OC&C strategy consultants on 13 April 2020; who attended the meeting on behalf of OC&C; whether officials or special advisers attended the meeting on behalf of his Department; and in what capacity Lord O'Shaughnessy was attending.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department holds notes of the actions arising from this meeting. Lord Bethell was supported by a private secretary, Departmental officials and officials from the Department for International Trade, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and NHS England. Lord O'Shaughnessy and Bennet Summers, Vivek Madan and Henry Stannard of OC&C Strategy also attended the meeting. Special advisors were not present. Lord O'Shaughnessy attended in an advisory capacity.