Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 improve (a) physical, (b) emotional and (c) financial support for people diagnosed with (i) Pulmonary Fibrosis and (ii) Interstitial Lung Disease.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of interstitial lung disease (ILD) services, and funds the anti-fibrotic treatments that are part of the treatment pathway for ILD. The national service specification describes the standards required of clinical teams to support patients physically and emotionally with the diagnosis and management of ILD. Further information on the national service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interstitial-lung-disease-adults-service-specification/
NHS England is also supporting systems to improve outcomes for people with a range of respiratory conditions, for example through enabling access to pulmonary rehabilitation through the publication of commissioning standards together with the provision of funding. NHS England has also extended the scope of the National Respiratory Audit Programme’s pulmonary rehabilitation audit so that all patients who participate in pulmonary rehabilitation are captured in the audit, irrespective of their condition. Along with providing a more complete picture of participation, the decision to extend was made to recognise and reinforce the value of pulmonary rehabilitation to all who are eligible with chronic respiratory conditions other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including ILD.
The energy costs associated with using oxygen concentrators at home are reimbursed, however no decision has been made to extend this to other medical devices such as complex home ventilation, syringe drivers, electric wheelchairs, or other disability aids.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 ensure that veterans in rural areas have access to mental health support services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, the integrated mental health and wellbeing service for veterans. Veterans can self-refer to Op COURAGE. The service has been designed to support veterans from all areas, including rural areas, and is delivered from a range of locations, including National Health Service trusts, general practices, Poppy Shops, veteran hubs, and drop-in centres. Elements of the service may also be provided online if this is clinically appropriate.
As set out in the NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2024/25, NHS England is continuing to expand access to mental health services to increase the number of people accessing mental health support. Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking into account local considerations such as access to services in rural areas. The Government recognises that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long. The Government is determined to change that, and ensure that mental health has the same focus as physical health, to help people in rural areas to access high quality mental health support when they need it.
In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. NHS staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 increase the number of community diagnostic hubs in rural areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have committed to getting back to the 18-week standard by the end of this Parliament, addressing the unacceptably long waits experienced by too many people. The Department is working with NHS England on a reform plan for elective care, which will be published in the coming weeks, and will set out more detail on the plans for more timely, accessible, and accurate diagnostic testing.
Approximately £1.5 billion of additional capital funding has been allocated in the Budget for 2025/26 to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care. This investment includes the purchasing of new diagnostic scanners, which will reduce waiting times and increase diagnostic capacity outside of hospitals, in communities and primary care, including in Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC). Details of how this investment will be spent are currently being developed with NHS England.
All existing CDC locations have been chosen based on robust guidance to ensure that they meet certain specifications in order to reduce health inequalities, and integrated care boards were responsible for making recommendations on where there was the greatest need across their areas, including in rural areas. This includes ensuring that they have good transport links to improve access to diagnostic tests for the communities where the need is greatest.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 improve mental health facilities in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations. We plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.
The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2023-2028, published September 2023, sets out an ambition to conduct and commission research and data linkage projects, including supporting the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to look at agricultural workers to understand the unique challenges in that occupational group and respond appropriately.
In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 improve local healthcare provision in rural communities.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Rural populations increasingly include people who are most likely to need care. South Shropshire is facing particular challenges. The waiting list for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB has increased by 12,000 compared to 2023.Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 increase the availability of automated external defibrillators in rural areas.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and rapid intervention is central to improving outcomes. This is why the Government increased the number of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
The Government is committed to improving access to AEDs in public spaces, and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. We made a further £500,000 available from August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Department’s Community AED Fund. The criteria specified for the original grant continues to apply and will go to applications for AEDs in areas where there is the greatest need, including in areas of high footfall, hot spots for cardiac arrest, and areas that already have low access to AEDs, which could include rural areas.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide further funding to (a) voluntary community and (b) social enterprise organisations responding to local suicide rates.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to tackling suicide. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health workers, and these new staff will be specially trained to support people at risk of suicide.
The Department continues to provide funding to a wide range of national and local voluntary and community organisations to support their work on suicide prevention through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, which runs to March 2025.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to (a) increase funding available and (b) improve recruitment for community hospitals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Departmental budgets for 2025/26 will be confirmed at my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s next Budget, on 30 October 2024. We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. There are a number of national recruitment programmes, aimed at increasing recruitment by widening access, supporting diversity, and attracting people new to care from local communities, as well as improving recruitment processes via the national Entry Careers programme and national Overhauling Recruitment programme. The Overhauling Recruitment programme seeks to support all National Health Service providers, including community hospitals. The national programme maintains a strong collaborative approach with regions as experts in their area, knowing their systems, geography, and demographics at a local employment level.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the publication of the National Screening Committee’s review for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway, and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of NHS provision for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of ADHD and ASD in South Shropshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB advises that from April 2024, the contract for children and young people’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD services has received a significant funding uplift to support improved access. In respect of adult services, the ICB advises that the adult ADHD assessment service is currently under procurement, with the aim of ensuring more accessible and tailored support, and the ICB has recently partnered with Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to expand adult ASD assessments.