Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 increase the provision of NHS podiatry services in Huddersfield.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Podiatry services in Greater Huddersfield are provided by Locala Community Partnerships as part of a wider community services contract commissioned by Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group.
Following a public consultation process undertaken in 2017, Locala has made a number of changes to the service to ensure that it is able to meet the current and predicted future demand. This will mean that those patients whose feet have been assessed as 'at risk' or people with significant podiatry need will be eligible for treatment by Locala Podiatry Services and will ensure those patients with the greatest clinical need and highest risks are seen at the right time, every time.
Locala have publicised the changes widely to service users and to local general practitioner practices. Those who are not eligible for the service are being provided with advice and guidance on foot care and signposted to alternative services including Huddersfield University Foot Clinic, independent podiatrists, and to a new nail cutting service which is being delivered by Age UK.
To address the shortfall in podiatrists nationally, NHS England has supported the development of bespoke recruitment campaigns for clinical professions where needed within any workforce shortfalls – this has recently included a focus on podiatry. Health Education England monitor closely the provision of training places and take up to support capacity provision.
Within community services, and podiatry services specifically, measures are in place to help review and improve services against targets for foot hygiene. National audit data is published through reports such as the National Diabetes Foot Care Audit which is available at the following link:
The National Diabetes Foot Care Audit enables all diabetes footcare services to measure their performance against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines and peer units, and to monitor adverse outcomes for people with diabetes who develop diabetic foot disease.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 184407 on Patients: Personal Property, if the NHS will put in place additional procedures to ensure the protection of the personal effects of (a) vulnerable inpatients and (b) patients with dementia.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Guidance has been provided to National Health Service organisations in England on the secure management of all patients' property. This includes the process for documenting patients’ property, transferring patients and discharging patients.
Patients should be advised of their rights and responsibilities with respect to property taken onto the NHS organisations premises.
In addition to the information provided in the previous answer, NHS England is actively engaged with the Department and other key stakeholders in drafting the user guidance stemming from the Mental Capacity Act (Amendment) Bill. This is likely to contain information on the handling of personal effects for those patients without mental capacity and will be cascaded to all NHS Standard Contract holders once finalised. Further information is available on NHS England’s website at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/safeguarding/our-work/adult-network/
NHS England together with the Department have also published guidance to support implementation of the ‘red bag’ scheme which supports an efficient and safe transfer process from care home to hospital, while also ensuring greater protection for residents’ personal items. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/quick-guide-redbag-hospital-transfer-v1.pdf
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 support families with members who have fibromyalgia syndrome.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department is committed to making sure people with long term conditions receive the personalised care and support they need. Where suitable, loved ones and carers should be involved in tailoring care options.
Last summer the Department published a Carers Action Plan, setting out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years and will also ensure a clear focus on carers in the forthcoming Adult Social Care Green Paper. The Department is clear that planning for people with long term conditions should involve loved ones and carers. The aim is supporting carers to provide care as they would wish, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing.
As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, NHS England is taking action in range of areas to improve the care treatment and support provided to people with neurological conditions including rolling out the NHS Comprehensive Model of Personalised Care across the country, reaching 2.5 million people by 2023/24.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions have been included in the forthcoming green paper on social care reform to enable access to quality care for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The upcoming Green Paper will bring forward proposals to ensure we have a social care system where people including those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia know that the care they receive will be to a high standard and help them to maintain their independence and well-being.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women reported experiencing birth trauma; and how much funding his Department has allocated to birth trauma support in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Data is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 retired military personnel have access to mental health support.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
In addition to all the clinical commissioning group commissioned mental health services, many of which have pathways and services relevant to armed forces, NHS England commissions two bespoke services for veterans experiencing mental health difficulties.
The first is the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service which supports serving personnel who need additional support as they are leaving the armed forces and veterans who have mental health issues. The Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service is also the entry point to the Complex Treatment Service, the second service commissioned by NHS England. The Complex Treatment Service is able to provide a range of more intensive care and treatment for veterans with military related complex mental health difficulties, many of whom will have experienced trauma.
The Transition Intervention and Liaison Service accepts referrals directly from veterans or a veteran can ask their general practitioner or a military charity to refer them.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to increase funding for end-of-life care; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
As with the vast majority of NHS services, the funding and commissioning of palliative and end of life care, is a local matter, over which individual National Health Service commissioners have responsibility. Local commissioners are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly.
As part of the £20.5 billion a year for the NHS, NHS England is working with the Department to develop a long-term plan, details of which will be published later this year. End of life care is an important part of the proposals and NHS England will continue working with key stakeholders to test the plan before its publication.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures the NHS has put in place to ensure the protection of vulnerable inpatients personal affects.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
NHS Protect provides guidance to National Health Service organisations in England on the secure management of all patients' property. This includes the process for documenting patients’ property, transferring patients and discharging patients.
Patients should be advised of their rights and responsibilities with respect to property taken onto the NHS organisations premises.