Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 people living with cancer can access psychological support.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Over the next five years, Cancer Alliances will be embedding personalised care interventions, which will identify and address the changing needs of cancer patients from diagnosis onwards, including psychological needs. People with long term conditions, such as cancer, have been identified as priority patients for accessing Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services. These services are being integrated with physical health services, to better align psychological therapies for mental illness within primary and secondary care pathways.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from senior doctors and consultants on changes to the NHS Pension Scheme.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department recognises that the annual allowance may contribute to decisions from National Health Service consultants to retire early or limit their NHS commitment. The Government is listening carefully to concerns raised by senior doctors and NHS employers about the tapered annual allowance.
In September 2019 guidance was issued by NHS Employers informing employers of the short-term approaches that they could take to mitigate the effect of pension tax on their workforce this tax year. The NHS has also implemented an immediate measure to preserve clinical capacity amid the increased pressure on services during the winter period. This will compensate NHS clinicians for the effect on their pensions of annual allowance charged incurred in 2019-20.
The Department has consulted on introducing flexibility within the NHS Pension Scheme from 2019/20 to allow clinicians affected by annual allowance tax charges to reduce their pension accrual in deciles in order to manage any potential annual allowance tax charges.
As part of a wider drive to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to meet demand and transform care, the Government is carrying out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem that has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills. On 13 January, Ministers held a roundtable with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association and other representative organisations as part of this review to find a long-term solution.
The review will consider the findings from the Department’s consultation on pension flexibility and will report at the Budget on 11 March.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of reducing the annual allowance for pension growth on senior doctors and consultants in the NHS retiring early.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department recognises that the annual allowance may contribute to decisions from National Health Service consultants to retire early or limit their NHS commitment. The Government is listening carefully to concerns raised by senior doctors and NHS employers about the tapered annual allowance.
In September 2019 guidance was issued by NHS Employers informing employers of the short-term approaches that they could take to mitigate the effect of pension tax on their workforce this tax year. The NHS has also implemented an immediate measure to preserve clinical capacity amid the increased pressure on services during the winter period. This will compensate NHS clinicians for the effect on their pensions of annual allowance charged incurred in 2019-20.
The Department has consulted on introducing flexibility within the NHS Pension Scheme from 2019/20 to allow clinicians affected by annual allowance tax charges to reduce their pension accrual in deciles in order to manage any potential annual allowance tax charges.
As part of a wider drive to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to meet demand and transform care, the Government is carrying out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem that has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills. On 13 January, Ministers held a roundtable with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association and other representative organisations as part of this review to find a long-term solution.
The review will consider the findings from the Department’s consultation on pension flexibility and will report at the Budget on 11 March.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the effect of the NHS pension scheme on staffing in the (a) NHS and (b) primary care sector.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department recognises that the annual allowance may contribute to decisions from National Health Service consultants to retire early or limit their NHS commitments, although a precise estimate of the change in staffing levels as a result of pension tax is not available. The Government is listening carefully to concerns raised by senior doctors and NHS employers about the tapered annual allowance.
In September 2019 guidance was issued by NHS Employers informing employers of the short-term approaches that they could take to mitigate the effect of pension tax on their workforce this tax year. The NHS has also implemented an immediate measure to preserve clinical capacity amid the increased pressure on services during the winter period. This will compensate NHS clinicians for the effect on their pensions of annual allowance charges incurred in 2019-20.
The Department has consulted on introducing flexibility within the NHS Pension Scheme from 2019/20 to allow clinicians affected by annual allowance tax charges to reduce their pension accrual in deciles in order to manage any potential annual allowance tax charges.
As part of a wider drive to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to meet demand and transform care, the Government is carrying out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem that has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills. On 13 January, Ministers held a roundtable with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association and other representative organisations as part of this review to find a long-term solution.
The review will consider the findings from the Department’s consultation on pension flexibility and will report at the Budget on 11 March.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the NHS of an emergency ambulance call out in (a) 2018, (b) 2017, (c) 2016 and (d) 2015.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 27 June 2019 to Questions 266861 and 266862, how many prescriptions for full-extract medical cannabis have been fulfilled by the NHS since November 2018.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 286835 on Thalidomide, what his timetable is for considering evidence from the Thalidomide Trust on the continuation of the health grant for thalidomide survivors; and what plans he has for discussions with that Trust on the continuation of that grant.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Officials are in ongoing discussion with the Thalidomide Trust and hold regular meetings.
Further discussions with the Thalidomide Trust are due to take place later this year and we expect to discuss how those suffering from the effects of thalidomide can be best supported in future and consider arrangements after 2022 when the present 10-year grant is due to end.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to renew the health grant for thalidomide survivors in April 2023.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to meeting the additional health needs of thalidomide survivors and to giving them the same opportunities that others enjoy. The current health grant is a central element of this. We will be drawing on evidence in due course from the Thalidomide Trust regarding the value and benefits of the grant when considering arrangements for when the current 10 year grant ends in 2023. Future funding decisions will be undertaken as part of the appropriate Spending Review process in due course.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients whose prescription for a cannabis-based medical product is blocked by an NHS trust can appeal that decision.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
In line with routine clinical practice patients wishing to seek a second opinion will be supported to do so. In the first instance clinicians should refer patients for a second opinion using their established protocols. If it is not possible to obtain a second or further opinion using established protocols then National Health Service trusts are instructed to contact their NHS England Regional Medical Director who will be able to offer further advice around a referral route. The NHS England Regional Medical Directors will support NHS trusts in identifying a suitable NHS specialist for a second opinion. Processes may differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England, (b) drug manufacturers and (c) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on funding for licensed cannabis-based products.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department is in regular contact with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England colleagues about a range of issues and has not met with drug manufacturers on funding of licensed cannabis-based products.
Sativex is currently the only licensed cannabis-based product available in the United Kingdom. NICE considered the clinical and cost effectiveness of Sativex in the development of its clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis published in 2014. NICE was not able to recommend Sativex as a cost-effective use of NHS resources for the treatment of spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis. Sativex is not therefore routinely funded by the NHS in England for use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, although clinicians are able to make a request for exceptional funding for individual patients who they think may benefit from treatment.
NICE has been asked to develop clinical guidelines on cannabis-based products for medicinal use and is expected to look at the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments, including Sativex, as part of this work. This is expected to be published by October 2019.