Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many participants were recruited to industry-sponsored clinical trials in each of the National Institute for Health and Care Research's Local Clinical Research Networks in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.
Answered by Will Quince
A table showing the number of participants recruited to industry-sponsored clinical trials in each of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Local Clinical Research Networks in 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 is attached.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department it taking steps to improve access to industry clinical trials amongst patients with glioblastoma.
Answered by Will Quince
In March 2021 the Government published ‘Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery’ setting out ambitions to reform clinical research delivery in the United Kingdom. This sets out how we will improve access to clinical trials in all areas, including glioblastoma. This will include enhancing the use of data to support recruitment and improving processes to make study set-up and delivery faster, more efficient and more innovative, so that clinical research participation is more accessible than ever.
Lord James O’Shaughnessy has also been commissioned to independently review commercial clinical trials to provide recommendations that will improve access to them. We expect this will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
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 (a) improve the early diagnosis of rare cancer and (b) establish efficient pathways for patients to access relevant clinical research opportunities.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s comprehensive Early Diagnosis strategy is based on six core strands of activity, from raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward, to implementing targeted interventions for particular cancer types that we know have previously experienced later stages of diagnosis.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, thereby advancing knowledge and improving care.
The CRN is comprised of 15 Local Clinical Research Networks and 30 Specialties who coordinate and support the delivery of clinical research by region and therapy area.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has been made on implementing the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to ensure that children with learning disabilities (a) have their needs met by eyesight, hearing and dental services, (b) are included in reviews as part of general screening services and (c) are supported by accessible ongoing care.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment that autistic children and young people, and those with a learning disability, or both in special residential schools should have access to dental, sight and hearing checks. In order to progress this commitment, NHS England has commenced individual proof-of-concept programmes covering the three sensory checks since 2021. These seek to pilot and evaluate a sight, hearing and oral health service model in special residential schools in England.
The outcomes from the specific proof-of-concept programmes are being collated for each of the sensory workstreams. The findings will inform decisions about the scope, funding and delivery of any commissioning planning for future sensory check delivery for children and young people in special residential schools.
As part of these programmes more than 690 children and young people have received a hearing check, over 70 children received an oral health check and over 10,900 children and young people have received an eye test.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children with learning disabilities have had their needs met by (a) eyesight, (b) hearing and (c) dental services since the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment in January 2019.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment that autistic children and young people, and those with a learning disability, or both in special residential schools should have access to dental, sight and hearing checks. In order to progress this commitment, NHS England has commenced individual proof-of-concept programmes covering the three sensory checks since 2021. These seek to pilot and evaluate a sight, hearing and oral health service model in special residential schools in England.
The outcomes from the specific proof-of-concept programmes are being collated for each of the sensory workstreams. The findings will inform decisions about the scope, funding and delivery of any commissioning planning for future sensory check delivery for children and young people in special residential schools.
As part of these programmes more than 690 children and young people have received a hearing check, over 70 children received an oral health check and over 10,900 children and young people have received an eye test.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of 9 March 2023 by the Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care, Official Report, column 510, when he plans to meet the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden and senior clinicians.
Answered by Will Quince
I am due to meet with the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden and senior clinicians in the very near future.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS has sent trucks of Personal Protective Equipment to the Mitcham Waste Transfer Station for shredding.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has used the waste transfer facility at Mitcham in the last four months for several functions, including shredding, recycling and generating energy from waste.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of the increases in the cost of living on charitable income for hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
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 impact of rising (a) costs, (b) energy costs and (c) staffing costs on hospices.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.
At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming Mental Health Bill will include a statutory duty to provide early intervention strategies to detect and address mental health issues for children and young people within all primary and secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The draft Mental Health Bill, published in June 2022, is intended to modernise the Mental Health Act and work better for people with serious mental illness. The draft Bill has completed its pre-legislative scrutiny and the Joint Committee published its report on 19 January 2023 on the Draft Mental Health Bill. The Department will consider the Committee’s recommendations carefully and we will introduce the Bill when parliamentary time allows.
Separate to the provisions in the draft Bill, there are currently 287 mental health support teams in place in around 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression and other common mental health issue. These
teams now cover 26% of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned and this will increase to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils by April 2023 with over 500 planned to be deployed by 2024.