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Written Question
Smoking: Health Services
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health trusts are implementing smoking cessation services.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 yearly deaths in the United Kingdom and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. Smoking is closely associated with poor mental health and wellbeing, as people with mental health conditions die 10 to 20 years earlier, with smoking contributing significantly to this. Further information on the wellbeing of smokers aged 18 years old and over, and the relationship between smoking and mental health, is available respectively at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoking-prevalence-in-adults-current-smokers-aged-over-18-years-by-wellbeing-group-and-region

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2020/02/26/health-matters-smoking-and-mental-health/

It also costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year. At the end of quarter three of 2023/24, 37 out of 48 Mental Health services identified as eligible under the NHS Long Term Plan, are reporting that they are delivering tobacco dependence treatment services.


Written Question
Prescriptions
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of repeat prescriptions are unused.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As identified in the National Overprescribing Review, published in September 2021, addressing overprescribing is a key area of opportunity for delivering greater value for money in medicines in the National Health Service, and it forms part of NHS England’s ongoing Medicines Value programme priorities. Evidence is limited but the review estimated that at least 10% of the total number of prescription items in primary care need not have been issued.

The review report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-overprescribing-review-report


Written Question
Gynaecology: Rotherham
Monday 4th December 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 2154 on Gynaecology: Waiting Lists, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of waiting times for NHS gynaecology services in Rotherham.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government is taking action to recover elective services, including for patients waiting for National Health Service gynaecology services in Rotherham, by providing record levels of staffing and funding as the NHS implements the Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care. We have not made a specific assessment of waiting times for NHS gynaecology services in Rotherham.


Written Question
Mental Capacity
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason her Department has indefinitely delayed the introduction of the Liberty Protection Standards.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The difficult decision to delay the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards was not taken lightly. We have done so to enable the Department, and local partners, to prioritise the reforms set out in the Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care plan. These include investment in the workforce, technology, and support for unpaid carers.

These priorities, alongside the funding uplift of up to £8.1 billion over this year and next to strengthen adult social care provision, will drive forward our ambition of ensuring that everyone can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Until the Liberty Protection Safeguards come into force, the existing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, which form a key part of the Mental Capacity Act, remain in place and ensure that decisions are made in a person's best interests.


Written Question
Prescriptions: Expenditure
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual cost to the public purse is of NHS repeat prescriptions.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Information is not held in the format requested. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds information on the net ingredient cost (NIC) for both repeat dispensing, where a patient is able to obtain repeat supplies of National Health Service prescriptions without the need for their general practitioner (GP) to issue a prescription each time a supply is required, and repeat prescribing, where the patient still needs to obtain an NHS prescription from their GP each time they require their prescribed medication or appliances. The NIC is the basic reimbursement cost of a medicine. It does not consider discounts, amount for containers or other added reimbursement expenses so the final amount the NHS pays will be different.

The following table shows the total number of items and NIC for both repeat dispensing and repeat prescribing for prescriptions that have been dispensed in the community in England for financial year 2022/23:

Total Number of Items

Total Net Ingredient Cost (£)

NHS Repeat Dispensing

156,550,745

490,019,357

NHS Repeat Prescribing

734,963,250

7,100,020,164

Source: NHSBSA

As identified in Good for you, good for us, good for everybody: a plan to reduce overprescribing to make patient care better and safer, support the NHS, and reduce carbon emissions in 2021, addressing overprescribing is a key area of opportunity for delivering greater value for money in medicines in the NHS, and it forms part of NHS England’s ongoing Medicines Value programme priorities.

Notes:

  1. Data on repeat prescribing is only available for prescriptions transmitted via the Electronic Prescription Service and requires the prescriber to select the correct treatment code indicating it is repeat prescribing. The data provided by NHSBSA is based on NHS repeat prescriptions that have been dispensed in the community in England.
  2. The figures for repeat dispensing cover paper prescriptions and electronic prescribing (EPS) messages.
  3. Net Ingredient cost is the basic price of a medicine as stated in Part II Clause 8 of the Drug Tariff but please note that where a price concession for items listed in Part VIII of the Drug Tariff has been agreed between the Department of Health and Social Care and Community Pharmacy England the NIC will reflect the concession price rather than the Drug Tariff price.
  4. If a prescription was issued, but not presented for dispensing or was not submitted to NHSBSA by the dispenser, then it is not included in the figures provided. Prescription items ‘not dispensed,’ ‘disallowed’ and ‘items referred back to the contractor for further clarification’ are also excluded from the figures.

Written Question
Gynaecology: Waiting Lists
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

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 waiting times for NHS gynaecology services in (a) Rotherham and (b) the rest of England.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

We are taking action to recover elective services, including for patients waiting for National Health Service gynaecology services in Rotherham and England, by working towards the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan and providing the NHS with record levels of staffing and funding.

£2.3 billionn was awarded at Spending Review 2021 to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. This includes an established spoke, at Montagu Hospital CDC, to which General Practices in Rotherham constituency can refer patients for key diagnostic checks, tests and scans. The funding will also be used to increase capacity for imaging and improving digital diagnostics.

We are also transforming the way the NHS provides elective care by increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs, focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. There are currently 95 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England as of 16 November 2023. These surgical hubs will help separate elective care facilities from urgent and emergency care. This includes an elective surgical hub at Sheffield Teaching Hospital, where patients with gynaecological conditions can access surgical treatments.

We are also investing £25 million in women’s health hubs between 2023 and 2025 so that women can get better access to care for essential services such as gynaecology, menstrual problems, contraception and the menopause.


Written Question
Health Professions: Prescriptions
Tuesday 17th October 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

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 implications of levels of independent prescribing responsibilities for (a) the retention of (i) dietitians, (ii) occupational therapists, (iii) orthoptists, (iv) prosthetists and orthotists, (v) diagnostic radiographers and (vi) speech and language therapists and (b) the patients of those professions.

Answered by Will Quince

No assessment has been made. Members of these professional groups are all able to supply or administer medicines to their patients via Patient Group Directions.


Written Question
Cancer: Medical Treatments
Tuesday 19th September 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to regularly (a) monitor and (b) review progress towards meeting the target for increasing cancer treatment capacity set out in the NHS England 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 27 January 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Will Quince

The Department continues to support NHS England in increasing cancer treatment capacity, and it is the responsibility of NHS England to work with integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers to ensure targets are being met.

NHS England has instructed ICBs to increase and prioritise diagnostic and treatment capacity for cancer. This includes by ensuring new diagnostic capacity, particularly via community diagnostic centres (CDCs), as set out in the 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance.

As at August 2023, 93 surgical hubs are currently operational across England providing additional elective surgical capacity, including for cancer treatment. As at September 2023, there are 119 CDCs currently operational that have delivered over four million additional tests since July 2021 (including large, standard and hub models).


Written Question
Radiotherapy: Rotherham
Friday 15th September 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is her policy to devolve areas of radiotherapy commissioning within NHS Trusts to local Integrated Care Systems in Rotherham constituency.

Answered by Will Quince

NHS England’s National Moderation Panel will determine how many integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility for specialised commissioning in October 2023. Following this moderation process, recommendations will be taken to the NHS England Board for final decisions in December 2023, before new arrangements go live from April 2024.

This process will consider the delegation of radiotherapy commissioning for ICBs across England, including across the Rotherham constituency.


Written Question
Health Services: Women
Monday 4th September 2023

Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Women’s Health Ambassador for England has met with the Women’s Health Plan team in Wales.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Women’s Health Ambassador for England has not met with the Women’s Health Plan team in Wales.