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 15 March to Question 131949 on Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, on what date the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's report on the potential downgrading of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will be made public.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Joint Chairs of the Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Scrutiny wrote to the Department last year formally referring the National Health Service proposal, Right Care Right Time Right Place – Proposed future arrangements for hospital and community health services in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield. We referred the case to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in January. An announcement will be made in due course.
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 the timetable is for the Independent Reconfiguration Panels report on the potential downgrading of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to be made public.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Last year, the Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Scrutiny Committee referred to the Secretary of State the Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group’s and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group’s proposals entitled “Right Care Right Time Right Place – Proposed future arrangements for hospital and community health services in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield” under the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013. The Secretary of State has asked the Independent Referral Panel for their advice on this matter, and an announcement will be made in due course.
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 much funding his Department has allocated to medical research for the development of new medicines in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department funds research via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The types of biomedical and health related research that are funded by NIHR and other funders can be classified using the Health Research Classification System (HRCS). Whilst HRCS does not have a category that is specifically ‘new medicines’, HRCS codes 5.1 and 6.1 relate to the development and evaluation of pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions and can be used to classify NIHR Programme Spend. It is possible that these codes may include some evaluation of existing medicines.
In addition, the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) undertakes research which supports clinical trials into pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions. CRN funding data can be calculated based on the number of recruiting 'Clinical Trial of an Investigational Medicinal Product (CTIMP)' studies within the CRN Portfolio.
NIHR programme research spend classified under HRCS codes 5.1 and 6.1 and CRN CTIMP spend over the last three years where complete data is available is shown in the following table:
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
NIHR Programme Spend | £34,204,157.67 | £36,655,975.32 | £39,011,490.62 |
CRN spend | £76,600,272.00 | £77,676,259.00 | £77,036,034.00 |
| £110,804,429.67 | £114,332,234.32 | £116,047,524.62 |
Research which may also contribute to the development and evaluation of pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions carried out across NIHR Infrastructure is not coded by the HRCS scheme so cannot be wholly attributed to individual research topics.
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 estimate his Department has made of the level of funding from the public purse to be allocated to research for medicines in each of the next three years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department funds research via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into a wide range of areas but does not usually ring-fence funds for particular topics. Awards are made in open competition on the basis of importance of topics to patients and heath and care services, value for money, and scientific quality judged through peer review. The amount of future NIHR funding in specific topic areas will depend on the quality and quantity of research proposals submitted to NIHR for review. As such, NIHR does not hold projected funding allocations specifically for research into medicines.
Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at:
https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/
However, NIHR does hold information on previous spend on the types of biomedical and health related research that are funded by NIHR and other funders, classified using the Health Research Classification System (HRCS). Whilst HRCS does not have a category that is specifically ‘new medicines’, HRCS codes 5.1 and 6.1 relate to the development and evaluation of pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions and can be used to classify NIHR Programme Spend. It is possible that these codes may include some evaluation of existing medicines.
In addition, the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) undertakes research which supports clinical trials into pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions. CRN funding data can be calculated based on the number of recruiting ' Clinical Trial of an Investigational Medicinal Product (CTIMP) ' studies within the CRN Portfolio.
NIHR programme research spend classified under HRCS codes 5.1 and 6.1 and CRN CTIMP spend over the last three years where complete data is available is set out below:
| 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
NIHR Programme Spend | £34,204,157.67 | £36,655,975.32 | £39,011,490.62 |
CRN spend | £76,600,272.00 | £77,676,259.00 | £77,036,034.00 |
| £110,804,429.67 | £114,332,234.32 | £116,047,524.62 |
Research which may also contribute to the development and evaluation of pharmaceutical treatments and therapeutic interventions carried out across NIHR Infrastructure is not coded by the HRCS scheme so cannot be wholly attributed to individual research topics.
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 has taken to ensure that (a) funding from the public purse for medical research is transparent; and (b) that medicines produced a result of funding from the public purse are affordable.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded through the Department to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Full and open access to the knowledge generated by research is of the utmost importance to the NIHR. The NIHR commitment to transparency, the NIHR Journals Library, open access policy, and endorsement of the World Health Organization joint statement on the disclosure of results ensures that ideas and knowledge derived from publicly funded research are made available and accessible for public use.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal guidance and the associated funding requirement plays an important role in ensuring that patients have access to cost-effective new medicines, including medicines developed from public research.
The recent Government and partner bodies response to the Accelerated Access Review sets out how we will work with industry and the health system to create a streamlined and sophisticated approvals system so that cost-effective breakthrough products – be they drugs, devices, digital or diagnostics – can get into the National Health Service as fast as possible.
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 progress his Department has made on reducing the cost of the drug Sativex in order to allow that drug to be prescribed to people suffering from MS.
Answered by Steve Brine
Sativex is licensed for the treatment of moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS). It is normally prescribed on the National Health Service by a specialist doctor with experience of treating MS spasticity – consultant neurologists, consultant rehabilitation specialists and consultant pain specialists.
When the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its guideline on the treatment of adults with MS in 2014, it recommended that Sativex should not be offered as an option to treat spasticity in people with MS because it is not a cost effective treatment. NICE is responsible for determining whether its guidance should be updated following the publication of any significant new evidence.
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 assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the UK remaining part of the European Health Insurance Card after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department is aware of the benefits of the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements such as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), in ensuring United Kingdom-insured residents have access to healthcare in the European Union/European Economic Area countries and Switzerland. The UK Government has therefore made clear in the course of the negotiations that it wishes to see the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements, including the EHIC scheme, continued after the UK leaves the EU.
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 recent steps his Department has taken to improve the survival rates of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Answered by Steve Brine
National Health Service services for pancreatic cancer have been significantly improved in recent years. This includes clearer diagnostic pathways; decision making by specialist multi-disciplinary teams; and the centralisation of pancreas surgery within specialist teams.
Last month the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published their clinical guideline on ‘Pancreatic cancer: diagnosis and management in adults’. It provides guidance on several different aspects of the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer, including ensuring quicker and more accurate diagnosis, referral to specialist pancreatic multidisciplinary teams, pain, nutritional and surgical management and psychological support.
In addition, NHS England has published a service specification for pancreatic cancer which clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services. This service specification has been developed by specialised clinicians, commissioners, expert patients and public health representatives to describe core and developmental service standards.
The full service specification can be found on our website and accessed via the following link:
http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a02-cncr-panc.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 the timescale is for his Department receiving a response from the Independent Review Panel on the referred plans from Calderdale Huddersfield Foundation Trust.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has written to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel requesting they undertake an initial assessment and report their findings by 26 February. We will then make an announcement about next steps in due course.
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 plans his Department has to ensure adequate supplies of the PPV23 vaccine.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department is aware of the intermittent issues affecting the supply of Pneumococcal polysaccharide 23-valent vaccine (PPV 23 vaccine). We are working closely with Public Health England (PHE) and the supplier, MSD, on this issue and can confirm that further United Kingdom deliveries are expected to be made available over the coming months. Despite this, supplies are expected to be constrained for the foreseeable future. In order to mitigate the impact to patients, PHE has issued clinical guidance to general practitioners, which provides recommendations on how to manage patients who are eligible for vaccination during periods of constraint.