Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are plans to allow pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government currently has no plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present, or for pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
The four United Kingdom health departments consulted from June to September 2018 on proposals to strengthen and clarify the organisational governance requirements of registered pharmacies, particularly around the roles and responsibilities of Responsible Pharmacists and Superintendent Pharmacists. The proposals do not amend the existing law requiring a pharmacist to be present at all times that a pharmacy is open for the provision of pharmaceutical services. The Government is considering consultation responses.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government currently has no plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present, or for pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
The four United Kingdom health departments consulted from June to September 2018 on proposals to strengthen and clarify the organisational governance requirements of registered pharmacies, particularly around the roles and responsibilities of Responsible Pharmacists and Superintendent Pharmacists. The proposals do not amend the existing law requiring a pharmacist to be present at all times that a pharmacy is open for the provision of pharmaceutical services. The Government is considering consultation responses.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the provision of histopathologists to meet future demand.
Answered by Steve Brine
Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017, which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. This included 94 full time equivalent additional histopathologists to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis. Following the commitment to lower the bowel screening age to 50 and roll out the Faecal Immunology Test, HEE has been engaging with stakeholders to ensure that the cancer workforce, including histopathologists, is sufficient for future cancer services.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the average number of colonoscopy procedures conducted by an endoscopist each year; and whether the commitment to increase the number of endoscopists in Health Education England's cancer workforce plan will be sufficient to deliver the new faecal immunochemical screening test.
Answered by Steve Brine
NHS England and the screening centres have completed an assessment of screening endoscopy capacity, taking into account a number of factors including workforce. This will inform the implementation plan for rolling out the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) into the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Health Education England is working with Public Health England and NHS England to continue detailed workforce planning to deliver national screening programmes such as FIT and ensure alignment with the national Workforce Strategy.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been made available to enable hospitals to increase their numbers of endoscopists to meet current and future demand.
Answered by Steve Barclay
To address the increasing demand for endoscopy services, Health Education England (HEE) has worked with the Joint Advisory Committee on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to develop a clinical endoscopist training programme.
HEE is providing an employer support package of £15,000 per National Health Service trainee to trusts for the programme. This has been provided to cohorts starting in September and December 2018 and for April and October 2019.
An initial evaluation shows trainees are helping to meet clinical demand, reduce waiting lists and contributing to a good patient experience.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
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 ensure that food safety standards remain closely aligned with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
The United Kingdom Government’s priority is to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises the interests and protection of consumers. A range of solutions are being investigated to ensure that from day one, food is as safe as it is now.
On 12 July the UK Government published a White Paper setting out a clear proposal for the future relationship we want to build with the European Union. The Government is proposing the establishment of a free trade area for goods, enabled by a common rulebook for goods including agri-food, covering only those rules necessary to provide for frictionless trade at the border. Maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime for ensuring the safety of food remains a top priority as the UK prepares to leave the EU.