Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total spending on locum doctors in accident and emergency departments, by NHS trust, was in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This information is not collected centrally.
The Department collects total spending on agency and contract staff by National Health Service trust. It is not possible to separate accident and emergency departments from other departments, nor doctors from other staff groups.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP vacancies there are in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) North Kirklees.
Answered by Steve Brine
Data published by NHS Digital show that there were 430 full time equivalent general practitioner (GP) vacancies recorded in England over the period April 2016 to September 2016. This figure is based on responses from 866 practices out of a total 7,527 practices in England (11.5%).
Data on GP vacancies are not available for West Yorkshire or for North Kirklees.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of establishing the NHS Property Board.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Sir Robert Naylor’s review of the National Health Service estate recommended the establishment of a ‘powerful new NHS Property Board’. The Government is giving careful consideration to the Review’s recommendations, including the form and function of an NHS Property Board and the best way to support estates transformation by providing leadership, expertise and delivery support to the NHS and strengthening existing estates capabilities and skills. No estimate has been made for the cost of establishing an NHS Property Board.
We have been prioritising action to build capability by enhancing strategic estates support to help the NHS achieve the clinical transformation set out in the Five Year Forward View. A single, integrated team of Strategic Estates Advisors from NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships is providing immediate support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships with the development and implementation of their local estates strategies.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to clinical care groups on providing surgery for people who are overweight or who smoke.
Answered by Steve Brine
Individual clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning the care that will provide the best possible outcomes for their patients in line with their legal duties and with regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for different conditions and treatments.
Weight and smoking status are considerations that clinicians should take into account when considering surgery as a treatment option because these factors have a significant bearing on patient outcomes.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he plans to offer to clinical commissioning groups which introduce policy for joint surgery.
Answered by Steve Brine
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence. CCGs should take national guidelines into account as they take commissioning decisions.
It is the role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England (alongside other arm’s length bodies) to issue guidance to CCGs, based on the latest evidence and expertise.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential public health and economic benefits of health optimisation plans on delaying NHS treatments to patients who smoke or are overweight.
Answered by Steve Brine
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning care that will provide the best possible outcomes for their patients. In doing so, they should take into account best practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.
As some treatments pose higher risks for severely overweight patients and those who smoke, it is often appropriate that local general practitioner-led commissioners offer support to help those patients lose weight and stop smoking before their treatment. All treatment decisions are made on a case by case basis.
Decisions will continue to be made on a case by case basis. People who do not wish to access support services or fail to meet relevant criteria will still be able to have their operation after the relevant time period.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group on its decision to delay surgery to those who are overweight and/or smoke; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning care that will provide the best possible outcomes for their patients. In doing so, they should take into account best practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.
As some treatments pose higher risks for severely overweight patients and those who smoke, it is often appropriate that local general practitioner-led commissioners offer support to help those patients lose weight and stop smoking before their treatment. All treatment decisions are made on a case by case basis.
North Kirklees CCG will continue to work closely with NHS England to ensure the Health Optimisation programme remains compliant with any future national guidelines and policies.
A patient engagement survey is being undertaken and there will be a continuous review process of the impact of the Health Optimisation programme.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with NHS trusts on car parking costs in relation to blue badge holders.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Decisions on car parking provision and charging are taken locally by each trust.
The Department published clear guidelines (the car parking principles) for National Health Service organisations that they are expected to follow. Hospitals should put concessions in place for those who most need help including disabled people, carers and staff who work shifts. The NHS itself is responsible for ensuring that charges are fairly applied. Patients, visitors and staff who have problems with car parking should therefore contact the NHS organisation which runs the car park.
The Department published NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking principles on 23 August 2014, which were subsequently updated in October 2015:
On concessions, the principles make clear that concessions, including free or reduced charges or caps, should be available for the following groups:
- disabled people, including people with temporary disabilities as well as Blue Badge holders;
- frequent outpatient attenders;
- visitors with relatives who are gravely ill, or carers of such people;
- visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital, or carers of such people;
- carers of people in the above groups where appropriate; and
- staff working shifts that mean public transport cannot be used.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 June 2017, Urgent Question, column 472, on NHS Shared Business Service, how much has been provided to GP surgeries to cover additional administrative costs; what the total amount to be made available to GP surgeries is; and what the number of GP surgeries that have received such funding is in (a) Batley and Spen constituency, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) the UK.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
As set out in the National Audit Office Report (Investigation: clinical correspondence handling at NHS Shared Business Services, 27th June 2017):
“NHS England has made payments to 7,330 GP practices totalling £2.5 million to compensate them for the time spent assessing the potential for patient harm due to the delay in the correspondence, and for reporting the outcome of their assessments to NHS England.“
Information by parliamentary constituency is not available.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of levels of access to NHS dentistry in (a) Batley and Spen constituency and (b) Kirklees.
Answered by David Mowat
NHS Digital dental data are not available at constituency level nor is it possible to identify West Yorkshire specifically.
Data for the number of children aged 0 to 17 seen in the previous 12 months as at 31 December 2016 and the previous 24 months for periods ending 31 March 2016 to 31 March 2010 are available at specified geographies and dates and can be found in the table below.
NHS England has a legal duty to commission services to meet local need. NHS England is considering what steps can be taken to improve dental access in the local area.
Period ending | England | NHS England North (Yorkshire and the Humber) | Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority | Kirklees Local Authority | Kirklees Primary Care Trust |
Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | |
31 December 2016 1 | 6,743,989 | 732,459 | - | 66,385 | - |
Break in time series. Data for the period ending 31 December 2016 are not comparable to data from earlier periods. | |||||
31 March 2016 | 8,085,564 | 856,956 | - | 75,412 | - |
31 March 2015 | 7,987,182 | 850,304 | - | 74,675 | - |
31 March 2014 | 7,891,837 | 843,840 | - | 74,789 | - |
31 March 2013 | 7,837,950 | - | 823,722 | - | 74,854 |
31 March 2012 | 7,827,627 | - | 819,543 | - | 74,722 |
31 March 2011 | 7,769,555 | - | 813,076 | - | 73,652 |
31 March 2010 | 7,694,373 | - | 804,533 | - | 73,534 |
Notes:
1. Data in the above table for 31 December 2016 represent the number of child patients seen in the previous 12 months rather than the previous 24 months as in earlier periods. As this represents a distinct break in the time series, figures for December 2016 are not comparable to earlier data.
2. Patients seen are allocated to a geography (e.g. local authority) via the dentist which they attend for treatment and not by the home postcode of the patient.
3. The figures are for the number of patients seen at least once during the 12 month period. Patients are counted in this data set on their first visit only.