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, whether he plans to visit Dewsbury and District Hospital in the next 12 months.
Answered by Philip Dunne
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State frequently visits trusts across the country and will continue to do so over the next year.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2017 to Question 4862 on Locums: Accident and Emergency Departments, how much each NHS Trust spent on locum staff in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Data is not available for spend on locum staff in each National Health Service trust in each of the last seven years. However, the total figures for agency spend are available for each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17.
Year | Total English NHS trusts spending on agency staff (£ billion) |
2016/17 | 2.935 |
2015/16 | 3.632 |
2014/15 | 3.189 |
2013/14 | 2.589 |
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.