Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 ensuring undergraduate dental students are able to gain experience in local practises.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
It is for each dental school to set its own undergraduate dental curriculum, which must meet the standards set by the General Dental Council (GDC) that require students to demonstrate a particular range of learning outcomes when they have completed their programme of studies. It would be for each dental school to consider the merits of training in local practices and hospital settings.
From 1 September 2022, the Government introduced the undergraduate dental tariff, to ensure that clinical placement providers are reimbursed consistently for the training placements they provide, that placements are high quality, and ensure that learners develop the required skills and knowledge to meet their professional competencies.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 Chancellor of Exchequer on potential options for resolving the pay dispute with NHS staff.
Answered by Will Quince
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues relating to the health and social care sectors.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much public funds his Department has spent on the partnership with Moderna to produce a new Innovation and Technology Centre in the UK.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are unable to provide the information requested on expenditure, as it is commercially sensitive.
Through the partnership, Moderna will, at its own cost, establish a United Kingdom based manufacturing facility and research and development (R&D) centre as well as commit substantial investment in UK based R&D activities over the 10 year period, bringing the UK a step closer to becoming the leading global hub for life sciences.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 introducing legislation on healthier food advertising before October 2025.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 reduce excess mortality amongst people with diabetes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is supporting the recovery of routine diabetes care to pre-pandemic levels though the provision of a £5 million recovery fund established in 2021. This is in addition to £75 million of targeted funding being made available for Integrated Care Systems for the next two years.
The NHS is prioritising people at highest risk of diabetes-related complications and, in line with the Long-Term plan, is focusing on addressing health inequalities and variations in outcomes.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 reduce excess mortality among people with diabetes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A £5 million national recovery fund for routine diabetes care was established in 2021/22, which has approved 28 projects to be delivered in 2022/23. Integrated care boards have been asked to focus funding on recovery, the eight diabetes annual checks, prioritising those patients most at risk of diabetes-related deterioration and reducing inequalities.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 rejecting Palantir Technologies' bid for a contract to run the NHS Federated Data Platform.
Answered by Will Quince
The Federated Data Platform will be procured via open competition, in line with Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Once launched, the procurement process will be open to all suppliers and will abide by the core principles of the 2015 Regulations, including transparency, non-discrimination, equal treatment and proportionality. These principles apply to all suppliers bidding for the Federated Data Platform, including the incumbent supplier. NHS England cannot reject a bid unless it is non-compliant with the procurement process.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 (a) increasing the age of sale for tobacco products in the UK and (b) providing more funding for services that help people quit smoking.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No formal assessment has been made. However, we are considering the recommendations made in ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’, including the potential merits of raising the age of sale of tobacco products and additional funding for stop smoking services.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 bringing forward legislation to guarantee care home residents' access to in-person support from at least one designated person important to them such as a (a) relative or (b) friend.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s guidance states that every resident should be able to receive at least one visitor in all circumstances. We are considering options to ensure this guidance is followed by all care homes.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage general practices to call patients a second time when they miss an initial telephone appointment.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Individual general practitioner (GP) practices are responsible for managing appointment booking systems to meet the reasonable needs of registered patients. NHS England’s guidance advises GP practices to provide a specific timeframe or exact appointment time for telephone or video appointments.