Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2015 to Question 225987, for what reasons the Answer states that a contract for University Hospital Bristol to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) was transferred to NHS England in April 2013 when that hospital first acquired a gamma knife to deliver SRS in October 2013.
Answered by Jane Ellison
All existing contracts for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy services, including that with University Hospital Bristol, were transferred to NHS England on 1 April 2013. Gamma Knife treatments started at University Hospital Bristol in October 2013, as there was an identified need for this provider to replace its existing equipment.
NHS England intends to update the information contained within the Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services - needs assessment and service review to reflect the 2014-15 contract position as part of the work to review the results of the consultation on the future provision of stereotactic radiosurgery services.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2015 to Question 225987, which refers to there being a contract for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy services (SRS) with University Hospital Bristol, for what reasons that hospital is listed as non-contracted and non-commissioned to deliver SRS in the NHS England document Stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy services needs assessment and service review, published in November 2014.
Answered by Jane Ellison
All existing contracts for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy services, including that with University Hospital Bristol, were transferred to NHS England on 1 April 2013. Gamma Knife treatments started at University Hospital Bristol in October 2013, as there was an identified need for this provider to replace its existing equipment.
NHS England intends to update the information contained within the Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy Services - needs assessment and service review to reflect the 2014-15 contract position as part of the work to review the results of the consultation on the future provision of stereotactic radiosurgery services.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for further funding rounds under the inshore and inland lifeboat grant scheme.
Answered by John Hayes
The Government announced in the 2014/15 budget that it would make £1 million of grant funding available annually for the inshore and inland lifeboat scheme, for a 5 year period from this financial year.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that small charities are aware of (a) the inshore and inland lifeboat grant scheme and (b) other Government funding schemes.
Answered by John Hayes
The Department will, through its public communication channels and local engagement, continue to raise awareness of all of its grant schemes to the widest possible audience and relevant recipient groups.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 25 February 2014, Official Report, column 279W and 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 583W, on NHS: innovation, for what reason NHS England has not published the minutes of the meetings referred to in the Answers; and if he will direct NHS England to publish those minutes.
Answered by George Freeman
The remit of patient and public engagement now falls to NHS England’s new Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group which met for the first time in June 2014.
Discussions about the publication of the minutes of the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group are ongoing.
The Patient and Public Engagement Steering Group is no longer in existence and NHS England has no plans to publish the minutes of the Patient and Public Engagement Steering Group.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 26 January 2015 to Question 221450 and of 2 March 2015 to Questions 225136, 225137 and 225138, for what reasons funding is provided to University Hospital Bristol to treat patients with gamma knife radiosurgery; when that funding approval was given; and who authorised that funding.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Since 1 April 2013, radiosurgery treatment is planned and paid for by NHS England to a national specification, developed through public consultation. All existing contracts for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy services, including that with University Hospital Bristol, were transferred to NHS England on 1 April 2013. NHS England has continued to commission against these contracts, during the review of stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy.
The future provision of stereotactic radiosurgery services in NHS England will be determined by the procurement exercise that will follow on from the consultation exercise that has recently ended. Until this process is completed there are no plans to change current commissioning arrangements.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on the NHS Choices Winter Health Advice campaign; and for what purpose that expenditure has been incurred.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The total budget for NHS England’s national ‘Feeling under the weather’ (NHS Choices Winter Health Advice) campaign, for financial year 2014-15, is £6 million. The budget delivered two waves of national campaign activity. The first wave ran from 27 October 2014 to 8 January 2015 and the second wave from 17 January to 1 March 2015.
The ‘Feeling under the weather’ campaign has been created to help reduce the number of elderly and frail people requiring emergency admissions through urgent and emergency care services, particularly accident and emergency departments. The campaign aims to achieve this by raising awareness about what medical help is available and should be sought, depending on the severity of the ailment.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2015 to Question 222678, how many claims for clinical negligence involving treatment for trigeminal neuralgia were submitted to the NHS Litigation Authority in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014.
Answered by Dan Poulter
In each of the calendar years, 2013 and 2014, less than five claims for clinical negligence involving treatment for trigeminal neuralgia were submitted to the NHS Litigation Authority.
I once again hope that my hon. Friend will understand that where a small number of cases exists, the Department is unable to provide a specific figure, as the disclosure of such information could breach an individual’s confidentiality.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2015 to Question 222680, which NHS trusts reported the patient incidents referred to in that Answer in 2013 and 2014.
Answered by Jane Ellison
It is not possible to provide details of which trusts reported the incidents due to the small patient population for this kind of treatment and potential issues regarding patient confidentiality.
Asked by: Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat - Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria NHS England has to decide which non-commissioned hospitals providing stereotactic radiosurgery are permitted to treat NHS patients.
Answered by Jane Ellison
No non-commissioned hospitals providing stereotactic radiosurgery are permitted to routinely treat National Health Service patients outside of national policy.
However, an application could be made for stereotactic radiosurgery through the individual funding request route demonstrating exceptional circumstances as to why an NHS England commissioned provider could not provide the treatment.
No non-commissioned hospitals providing gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery are funded to treat NHS patients outside of national policy.