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.
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 assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of bed occupancy levels in hospitals across England.
Answered by Will Quince
Occupancy levels for general and acute hospital beds have been persistently high over 2022/23, with around 95% of beds filled on average. The delivery plan to recover urgent and emergency care services, published in January 2023, recognises this pressure and commits to increasing the permanent bed base by 5,000 beds. The plan is backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding to support capacity.
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 the Government is taking to (a) support people affected by and (b) protect future generations against the impacts of asbestosis.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
There is no cure for asbestosis, as the damage to the lungs is irreversible. The National Health Service may recommend pulmonary rehabilitation for people with asbestosis or, for more severe cases, oxygen therapy if they have low levels of oxygen in their blood. People with chronic respiratory diseases, such as asbestosis, are one of the groups offered vaccinations under the national influenza vaccination programme.
In Great Britain the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 are in place to protect workers from asbestos exposure. These regulations require duty holders to assess whether asbestos is present in their buildings, the condition it is in and to draw up a plan to manage the risk associated with asbestos including removal if it cannot be safely managed in place.
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 many abandoned 111 calls there were in each month since January 2018 broken down by each (a) region and (b) nation where information is available.
Answered by Will Quince
The number of abandoned 999 calls is not collected centrally.
Data on NHS 111 calls abandoned after waiting 30 seconds or more per month between January 2018 and March 2021 in England can be accessed here:
Data on NHS 111 calls abandoned per month between April 2021 and December 2022 in England can be accessed here:
Health and care is largely a devolved matter. The Department does not hold data on call answer performance in the devolved nations.
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 many abandoned 999 calls there were in each month since January 2018 broken down by (a) region and (b) nation where data is available.
Answered by Will Quince
The number of abandoned 999 calls is not collected centrally.
Data on NHS 111 calls abandoned after waiting 30 seconds or more per month between January 2018 and March 2021 in England can be accessed here:
Data on NHS 111 calls abandoned per month between April 2021 and December 2022 in England can be accessed here:
Health and care is largely a devolved matter. The Department does not hold data on call answer performance in the devolved nations.
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 support patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Department is developing a cross-Government delivery plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). As part of the delivery plan, we are working with other Government Departments and stakeholders to determine ways to improve experiences and outcomes for all people who have ME/CFS.
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 many overseas nurses were working in (a) the NHS and (b) each NHS England Hospital Trust in each year since 2015; and whether he has made an estimate of the cost of (a) recruitment and (b) visas for overseas nurses in year since 2015.
Answered by Will Quince
Tables showing the number of headcount and full-time equivalent nurses and health visitors with a non-United Kingdom nationality in National Health Service hospital trusts and core organisations in August of each year since 2015 is attached.
No specific assessment of the cost of recruitment for overseas nurses or visas has been made. However, in October 2021, NHS England commissioned a review by the Nuffield Trust, which estimated the cost of recruiting a nurse from overseas at approximately £10,000 to £12,000. Since August 2020, nurses have paid reduced visa fees through the Health and Care Visa.
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 his Department plans to (a) move towards a preventative model of care for dentistry and (b) bring forward a public awareness campaign on oral health.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
NHS England will engage with stakeholder representatives from dental professional groups on potential solutions to the challenges facing National Health Service dentistry and how these could be implemented. This engagement will be focused on improving urgent care access; supporting access for new patients; re-orientating the system towards prevention; and dental team recruitment and retention and assisting dental teams to feel part of the NHS.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has published ‘Delivering Better Oral Health - an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’ to support dental teams to deliver preventive advice and treatment for patients, which 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, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the number of dentists from overseas to help fill gaps in dentistry in the UK.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The Department has worked with the General Dental Council (GDC) to develop and consult on legislative proposals to allow GDC greater flexibility to amend its existing international registration processes and explore alternative pathways. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Department aims to introduce the legislative changes in early 2023. As the independent regulator, the GDC will determine how these flexibilities can be used.