Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 reduce the number of NHS Cancer waiting time targets; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has taken steps to work with NHS England to reduce the number of cancer waiting time targets within the National Health Service. Following a review of cancer waiting times standards by Professor Sir Steve Powis, and a consultation last year, clinical experts in the NHS recommended modernising and simplifying cancer waiting time standards to focus on three outcome-based standards. On 17 August 2023, NHS England announced changes to cancer waiting times standards; more specifically, there will be a Faster Diagnosis Standard of a maximum 28-day wait for communication of a definitive cancer/not cancer diagnosis for patients referred urgently or those identified by NHS cancer screening. There will be a maximum 62-day wait to first treatment from urgent general practitioner referral, NHS cancer screening or consultant upgrade. There will be a maximum 31-day wait from decision to treat to any cancer treatment starting for all cancer patients.
These standards will give clinicians greater flexibility to adopt new technologies such as remote image review and artificial intelligence, and avoid disincentivising modern working practices such as one-stop shops and straight-to-test. The Department supports these changes and will amend the relevant statutory regulations in due course, as shared in the Written Ministerial Statement of my Rt. hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, HCWS1001, published on 4 September 2023.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) referral and (b) risk assessment criteria will be for referring women to women’s health hubs in order to access Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In July 2023 we announced that the £25 million investment in women’s health hubs is being distributed to every integrated care board (ICB), with each ICB receiving £595,000 in total over 2023/24 and 2024/25. ICBs have been asked to use the funding to establish or expand one women’s health hub, including working with their local authority commissioners and within their system.
It is important that services are provided in a way that best meets population needs and reduces health inequalities, and ICBs will determine which specific services their hub will offer. To support ICBs to establish women’s health hubs, we have published a cost-benefit analysis, and a core specification. The core specification sets out which services ICBs could consider incorporating into their hub model, either in terms of provision or signposting. Osteoporosis assessment and care, for example DEXA (bone density) scanning or fracture liaison services is included in the core specification as an area for consideration.
Further information on women’s health hubs was published on GOV.UK in July 2023 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/womens-health-hubs
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the referral pathways will be for women to access women’s health hubs in order to benefit from Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In July 2023 we announced that the £25 million investment in women’s health hubs is being distributed to every integrated care board (ICB), with each ICB receiving £595,000 in total over 2023/24 and 2024/25. ICBs have been asked to use the funding to establish or expand one women’s health hub, including working with their local authority commissioners and within their system.
It is important that services are provided in a way that best meets population needs and reduces health inequalities, and ICBs will determine which specific services their hub will offer. To support ICBs to establish women’s health hubs, we have published a cost-benefit analysis, and a core specification. The core specification sets out which services ICBs could consider incorporating into their hub model, either in terms of provision or signposting. Osteoporosis assessment and care, for example DEXA (bone density) scanning or fracture liaison services is included in the core specification as an area for consideration.
Further information on women’s health hubs was published on GOV.UK in July 2023 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/womens-health-hubs
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government announcement of 8 March 2023, what proportion of the £25 million allocated for the creation of women’s health hubs will be invested in Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In July 2023 we announced that the £25 million investment in women’s health hubs is being distributed to every integrated care board (ICB), with each ICB receiving £595,000 in total over 2023/24 and 2024/25. ICBs have been asked to use the funding to establish or expand one women’s health hub, including working with their local authority commissioners and within their system.
It is important that services are provided in a way that best meets population needs and reduces health inequalities, and ICBs will determine which specific services their hub will offer. To support ICBs to establish women’s health hubs, we have published a cost-benefit analysis, and a core specification. The core specification sets out which services ICBs could consider incorporating into their hub model, either in terms of provision or signposting. Osteoporosis assessment and care, for example DEXA (bone density) scanning or fracture liaison services is included in the core specification as an area for consideration.
Further information on women’s health hubs was published on GOV.UK in July 2023 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/womens-health-hubs
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of women’s health hubs will provide Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
In July 2023 we announced that the £25 million investment in women’s health hubs is being distributed to every integrated care board (ICB), with each ICB receiving £595,000 in total over 2023/24 and 2024/25. ICBs have been asked to use the funding to establish or expand one women’s health hub, including working with their local authority commissioners and within their system.
It is important that services are provided in a way that best meets population needs and reduces health inequalities, and ICBs will determine which specific services their hub will offer. To support ICBs to establish women’s health hubs, we have published a cost-benefit analysis, and a core specification. The core specification sets out which services ICBs could consider incorporating into their hub model, either in terms of provision or signposting. Osteoporosis assessment and care, for example DEXA (bone density) scanning or fracture liaison services is included in the core specification as an area for consideration.
Further information on women’s health hubs was published on GOV.UK in July 2023 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/womens-health-hubs
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £100 million for bespoke parent-infant relationship and perinatal mental health support set out in the Women's Health Strategy has been spent; and if he will publish a breakdown on that expenditure.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Information relating to the funding that has been allocated to local authorities through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme will be published in due course.
Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, £100 million is being invested in improving parent-infant relationships and perinatal mental health support. £92.8 million is being distributed to 75 local authorities in England participating in the Programme over the three years, from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The remaining funding is being held centrally to commission a series of national initiatives which will support local delivery, including training programmes for evidence-based parent-infant relationship interventions and access to high-quality clinical supervision for practitioners.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure funding for (a) bespoke parent-infant relationship and (b) perinatal mental health support is directed to local services.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
75 local authorities in England are participating in the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. Approximately £92.8 million of the £100 million investment for perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support is being allocated to these local authorities for them to improve their local offer. The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme Guide sets clear expectations that the money should be used to enhance local services and funding is allocated for activities set out in agreed delivery plans. The Programme Guide is available at the following link:
The remaining funding is being held centrally to commission a series of national initiatives to support local delivery. These include training programmes for evidence-based parent infant relationship interventions to improve staff capability and a national centre for supervision that will enable practitioners to access high quality clinical supervision.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.
Answered by Will Quince
Since the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services was published in January 2023, a detailed demand and capacity planning exercise has been undertaken with all 42 integrated care boards to ensure the commitment of an additional 5,000 general and acute beds will be delivered in addition to other interventions, including same day emergency care, virtual wards and intermediate care. Plans have also been agreed with Ambulance Trusts to increase ambulance capacity across England.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing hospital level NHS performance data.
Answered by Will Quince
We are not aware of official assessments made in relation to merits of publishing hospital level NHS performance data. However, our Department is committed to transparency and quality of health data in the public domain and makes a frequent assessment of trust level data availability, though recognises the need to balance quality, public value, disclosure and sensitivity of publishing more granular data in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Hospital Episode Statistics data is also published containing details about admissions, accident and emergency attendances and outpatient appointments at National Health Service hospitals in England. This is available at the following link:
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with software companies on charging NHS Trusts for IT upgrades.
Answered by Will Quince
The Secretary of State has had no such meetings. However, through the course of normal business officials within the Department, NHS England, and individual trusts and local National Health Service organisations will have various engagements with suppliers concerning software costs, including but not limited to costs for upgrades.