Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 potential merits of extending the bowel screening faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to people (a) over the age of 50 and (b) over the age of 45.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In 2018, Ministers accepted the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to offer bowel screening from the age of 50 to 74 years old using the faecal immunochemical home test kit. This is gradually being implemented by the National Health Service with invitations now issued to those aged 56 years old and over. Any proposal to offer bowel screening below the recommended age of 50 years old would require a submission to the UK National Screening Committee via its major modification process for consideration.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people diagnosed with bowel cancer each year are aged (a) 40 to 44, (b) 45 to 49, (c) 50 to 54, (d) 55 to 59 and (e) 60 and over.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The following table show a count of bowel cancers diagnosed in the age groups requested in England in each year from 2015 to 2019.
Year | Age group | Count of diagnoses |
2015 | 40 to 44 | 439 |
2016 | 40 to 44 | 477 |
2017 | 40 to 44 | 477 |
2018 | 40 to 44 | 513 |
2019 | 40 to 44 | 554 |
|
|
|
2015 | 45 to 49 | 875 |
2016 | 45 to 49 | 865 |
2017 | 45 to 49 | 834 |
2018 | 45 to 49 | 895 |
2019 | 45 to 49 | 902 |
|
|
|
2015 | 50 to 54 | 1,539 |
2016 | 50 to 54 | 1,574 |
2017 | 50 to 54 | 1,533 |
2018 | 50 to 54 | 1,680 |
2019 | 50 to 54 | 1,670 |
|
|
|
2015 | 55 to 59 | 2,404 |
2016 | 55 to 59 | 2,533 |
2017 | 55 to 59 | 2,430 |
2018 | 55 to 59 | 2,685 |
2019 | 55 to 59 | 2,733 |
|
|
|
2015 | 60 and over | 29,170 |
2016 | 60 and over | 29,051 |
2017 | 60 and over | 29,180 |
2018 | 60 and over | 29,643 |
2019 | 60 and over | 30,966 |
Source: NHS Digital
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the World Organisation for Animal Health’s statement that susceptible animals, such as mink, could become a SARS-CoV-2 reservoir that could pose a continued public health risk and lead to future spillover events to humans, what assessment he has made of the disease risks associated with the global fur trade.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The United Kingdom has a well-established surveillance system to ensure that zoonotic infections in animal populations are isolated effectively. The probability of human infection with COVID-19 from animals such as mink in the UK is assessed to be very low for the general population but high for individuals who work in high density settings. The farming of fur has been banned in England since 2000 and therefore there are very few high-density settings in the UK and to date no infections have been reported in such premises.
However, the welfare conditions of animals farmed for their fur globally may not meet the UK’s standards, which increases the risk to public health from high-density settings overseas. The Government is considering any further steps it could take in relation to this risk.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure (a) teaching staff and (b) those working in special educational needs settings and (c) all others who work in education settings are vaccinated as a matter of priority.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
For phase two of the vaccination programme, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s interim advice set out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age, not occupation. Age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 geographical variation in (a) the provision and (b) delivery of liver care services in England; and what plans his Department has to (a) reduce that variation and (b) improve liver disease survival rates.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 comprehensive care pathways for liver patients are implemented by each Integrated Care System in England.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 include liver services in NHS covid-19 recovery plans.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 number of covid-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all covid-19 deaths in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people with (a) liver cirrhosis, (b) liver failure and (c) liver cancer who have died as a result of a covid-19 infection.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.