Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is readily available to people who need it.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessments his Department has made of the implications for his policies of (a) supply shortages and (b) manufacturing problems of drugs used by the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medicine supply problems can occur for several reasons. For example, they can be due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems, problems with the supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product.
The production of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Occasionally, the National Health Service experiences temporary shortages of specific medicines
We know how distressing the possibility of shortages can be, however the Department has well-established processes to prevent, manage and mitigate medicine shortages when they do occur. We work with the pharmaceutical industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England, the devolved governments and others operating in the supply chain to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and help ensure patients have access to the treatments they need.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advance notice he plans to give to communities, towns and cities that are to be placed in local lockdown.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The ‘COVID-19 contain framework: a guide for local decision-makers’ sets out how NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre will work with local authorities, Public Health England and the public to contain and manage local COVID-19 outbreaks. This can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of waiting times for cancer treatment.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Cancer is a priority for the Government.
While survival rates are at a record high, we are committed to going further. We get there through earlier diagnosis, and raising awareness so that more patients are referred quicker for treatment if necessary.
Our dedicated National Health Service workforce diagnosed 31% more cancers, and ensured that 1.5 million more people with suspected cancer were seen by a specialist last year compared to 2010.