Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's submission to the Inter-departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health review and evidence submitted to the series of interviews with his Department's personnel conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds and published in 2008.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Inter-departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health (IDGVLH) is a group of economists from different Government departments set up in December 2007 to consider technical issues relating to the valuation of impacts upon life and health risks. The Terms of Reference of the group included survey of approaches to the valuation of such risks and production of draft guidance for submission to HM Treasury. Although membership of the Group was sought from any department with an interest, membership is personal and not departmental. Hence the submissions to the IDGVLH and responses to the survey that it commissioned are those of the individual members as experts in this field and in the operational practice of their departments, and do not necessarily represent the views of their departments. Records of the interviews conducted by the University of Leeds (other than what is incorporated into the report itself) were not kept by the Department.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 151W, on prescriptions, in which technology appraisals the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal committees have considered the range of the ICERs in the last 24 months; and which ranges have been so considered.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 128W, on haemolytic uraemic syndrome, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal will share NHS England's response to its request for advice with third parties with an interest in the evaluation of eculizumab; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the NHS England's response to this request.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it will publish NHS England's response to its request for further advice in the evaluation of eculizumab (Soliris) for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome following consideration at the next meeting of the evaluation committee. After the meeting a copy of NHS England's response will be placed in the Library.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings have taken place with the (a) OECD, (b) WHO and (c) European Commission following the G8 Dementia Summit; and what the outcome of these meetings was.
Answered by Norman Lamb
A number of key meetings and telephone calls have taken place between Departmental officials and colleagues in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. One of which was a key meeting to discuss their support to the World Dementia Council.
To maintain momentum following the G8 Summit, a dementia side event was held during the World Health Assembly (the decision body of World Health Organization (WHO)), in Geneva in May 2014. The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt) launched the Global Dementia and Alzheimer's Action Alliance. This will be the first global body to bring together government, the health and care sector, charities, the voluntary sector and wider civil society.
Dr Dennis Gillings CBE, the World Dementia Envoy, and Departmental officials met Margaret Chan, Director General of the WHO on 5 June 2014. Discussion took place in relation to supporting the World Dementia Council in an advisory capacity and the G8 Declaration. Dr Chan welcomed the great efforts and leadership of the United Kingdom Government and the envoy. Dr Chan agreed to collaborate with the envoy and the UK on a joint work programme. There was also positive discussion in relation to WHO supporting further meetings and hosting platforms.
No meetings have taken place with the European Commission as yet, but plans are underway for this to happen in July 2014.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what resources his Department has allocated to help carers of dementia patients.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Carers are central to the Government's reform of social care and support, with significant improvements in the Care Act which extends carers' rights to an assessment which will be based on the appearance of a need for support. For the first time, local authorities will be required to meet carers' eligible needs for support. The Act also creates a new statutory principle to promote an individual's well-being, including health and emotional well-being, which will apply equally to carers.
We have provided £400 million to the National Health Service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. In the 2013 Spending Review, we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 million funding for carers' breaks for 2015-16.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve standards of NHS care for dementia sufferers.
Answered by Norman Lamb
NHS England has an ambition that two thirds of the estimated number of people with dementia should have a diagnosis and access to post diagnostic support by March 2015. We are informed by NHS England that there is a tremendous amount of work being undertaken by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the country to improve diagnosis rates and quality of care for people with dementia. NHS England has found wide variation; with some CCGs having a longer journey to achieve the ambition than others. NHS England is providing a package of support to help CCGs to improve timely diagnosis and post-diagnosis support for people with dementia.
In addition, the Government's refreshed Mandate to Health Education England, published on 1 May 2014, stated that a further 250,000 NHS staff will receive Tier 1 training on dementia by March 2015, in addition to the 100,000 NHS staff who received Tier 1 training in 2013-14.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many local authorities have signed up to become dementia friendly since the launch of the Dementia Challenge; and what other progress has been made since that date.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The dementia friendly communities recognition process was launched by Alzheimer's Society in September 2013 and 55 communities have already signed up. We have therefore increased our original ambition of 20 communities committed to work to become dementia friendly, as set out in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia, to reach 75 communities by March 2015. In addition, 59 local authorities are members of local Dementia Action Alliances.
The Department has worked with Alzheimer's Society to develop the recognition process for dementia friendly communities. Malpas has signed up to the recognition process and is receiving support in its work to become dementia friendly. The Department is also working with Alzheimer's Society and the British Standards Institute to develop a code of practice for dementia friendly communities, which will help communities to continue in their work to become dementia friendly.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help Malpas to develop a dementia friendly community.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The dementia friendly communities recognition process was launched by Alzheimer's Society in September 2013 and 55 communities have already signed up. We have therefore increased our original ambition of 20 communities committed to work to become dementia friendly, as set out in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia, to reach 75 communities by March 2015. In addition, 59 local authorities are members of local Dementia Action Alliances.
The Department has worked with Alzheimer's Society to develop the recognition process for dementia friendly communities. Malpas has signed up to the recognition process and is receiving support in its work to become dementia friendly. The Department is also working with Alzheimer's Society and the British Standards Institute to develop a code of practice for dementia friendly communities, which will help communities to continue in their work to become dementia friendly.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funds his Department has provided for research into cures for dementia since 2012; and what progress has been made on such cures since the launch of the Dementia Challenge.
Answered by Norman Lamb
At the G8 dementia summit in December 2013, the G8 countries agreed to work together to tackle and defeat dementia. The declaration, built on the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge, announced the G8's ambition to identify a cure or a disease-modifying therapy by 2025 and to increase collectively and significantly the amount of funding for dementia research.
Investment in dementia research by the Department's National Institute for Health Research has increased from £12.6 million in 2009-10 to £24.4 million in 2012-13.
Asked by: Stephen O'Brien (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the development of NICE's highly specialised technologies programme since 1 January 2014; what the content of those discussions was; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Departmental officials have had no such discussions. Officials may discuss individual highly specialised technology topics with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, including at the topic selection stage.