Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of each Integrated care systems having a (a) specialist allergy nurse and (b) dietitian.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of services for people living with allergies are commissioned locally through integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to commission services according to local need. Specialised allergy services are provided for patients with severe and complex allergic conditions, or those who have common allergic conditions for which conventional management has failed and for whom specified specialist treatments are required. In 2023/24, these services are jointly commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning and the ICBs, in line with the published Specialist Allergy Service Specification.
There is an established Clinical Reference Group (CRG), which is responsible for providing national clinical advice and leadership for specialised immunology and allergy services. The CRG uses its expertise to advise NHS England on the best ways to provide specialised services. This includes developing national standards in the form of service specifications and policies. The CRG commenced a review of the current service specification in May 2023, which is expected to be complete by summer 2024. The outcome of the service specification review will be an updated specification which references up-to-date guidance and takes into account the latest evidence base, to clearly define the standards of care for commissioned specialised services.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions, including food allergy in under 19-year-olds, anaphylaxis, and drug allergy. The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media.
To support clinicians in the implementation of clear care pathways, the NICE website has guidance to support diagnosis and treatment of a range of allergy conditions, including how to identify allergies and when to refer to specialist care, and how to ensure allergies are recorded in their medical records. The NICE website also provides primary care practitioners with access to clinical knowledge summaries outlining the current evidence base and practical guidance on a range of skin conditions.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve allergy awareness in health care settings.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of services for people living with allergies are commissioned locally through integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to commission services according to local need. Specialised allergy services are provided for patients with severe and complex allergic conditions, or those who have common allergic conditions for which conventional management has failed and for whom specified specialist treatments are required. In 2023/24, these services are jointly commissioned by NHS England Specialised Commissioning and the ICBs, in line with the published Specialist Allergy Service Specification.
There is an established Clinical Reference Group (CRG), which is responsible for providing national clinical advice and leadership for specialised immunology and allergy services. The CRG uses its expertise to advise NHS England on the best ways to provide specialised services. This includes developing national standards in the form of service specifications and policies. The CRG commenced a review of the current service specification in May 2023, which is expected to be complete by summer 2024. The outcome of the service specification review will be an updated specification which references up-to-date guidance and takes into account the latest evidence base, to clearly define the standards of care for commissioned specialised services.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions, including food allergy in under 19-year-olds, anaphylaxis, and drug allergy. The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media.
To support clinicians in the implementation of clear care pathways, the NICE website has guidance to support diagnosis and treatment of a range of allergy conditions, including how to identify allergies and when to refer to specialist care, and how to ensure allergies are recorded in their medical records. The NICE website also provides primary care practitioners with access to clinical knowledge summaries outlining the current evidence base and practical guidance on a range of skin conditions.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many integrated care boards have introduced (a) community audiology services and (b) self-referral for community audiology.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on how many integrated care boards (ICBs) have introduced community audiology services is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. As part of an ICB self-assessment on the introduction of self-referral, conducted in September 2023, 26 ICBs reported having self-referral in place for community audiology in one or more services, with more ICBs reporting they had plans to introduce it later in the year, or as part of recommissioning arrangements for 2024/25.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the goods sold by online marketplaces are compliant with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards leads a national programme of regulatory action to tackle risks from unsafe and non-compliant goods, including from online marketplaces.
This includes test purchasing to assess compliance and removal of non-compliant products; engagement with marketplaces to understand the steps they are taking to meet their responsibilities under law; and taking enforcement action including serving Withdrawal Notices.
The recent Product Safety Review consultation includes additional proposals to ensure products bought online are as safe as on the high street. A Government response will be published this year.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for hospital hearing (a) tests and (b) aid fitting in areas where no community audiology service is commissioned.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Audiology services are locally commissioned by the 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. Waiting times for audiology assessments are recorded through the national diagnostic activity and waiting times collection. This data is reviewed and monitored monthly across the ICBs and NHS England.
NHS England has been working to enable improvement in access to audiology services including through developing an improvement guide, endorsed by the British Audiology Association, which outlines approaches the ICBs can take to address waiting times. NHS England’s National Diagnostics programme has supported implementation of this guide through a series of webinars and case studies to share learning.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data centrally about levels of (a) reuse and (b) discard of NHS equipment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department published the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023, which included a focus on improving resource efficiency. The Department is working with industry, the health and care sector, and academic partners to develop medical technology systems that support reuse, remanufacture, and material recovery, by default. The Department is exploring options for reuse, remanufacture, and material recovery in medical devices, through its Design for Life programme. This includes developing regulatory, commercial, and infrastructure and policy environments that support these aims. As part of the programme, the Department recognises we will need to define future data requirements, and align digital infrastructure to improve the gathering of core data.
NHS England has developed a waste planning tool for all National Health Service providers, consistent with the Clinical Waste Strategy, which includes improved waste segregation, minimisation, and increased reuse programmes. This will lead to reductions in the road miles the waste travels, increases in the use of re-usable sharps bins, and furthers plans made towards the achievement of Net Zero Carbon from waste management.
NHS England has an ambition to expand existing walking aid refurbishment schemes. Arrangements for the return and reuse of walking aids are managed locally, and a number of NHS trusts already have local return and reuse schemes, with over 200 return sites now featured on the Recycle Now website. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/walking-aids
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that the Israeli government is implementing the International Court of Justice’s decision on the request for provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative. We have long advocated for the immediate release of hostages and the need to get more aid. We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase staff (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the adult social care sector.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 10 January 2024, the Department announced a package of social care workforce reforms, to help recruit and retain talent by providing new, accredited qualifications, digital training and funded apprenticeships. These plans include the launch of the care workforce pathway, which will provide, for the first time ever, a national career structure for the adult social care workforce, covering the breadth and complexity of care.
In addition, the latest phase of the Made with Care recruitment campaign launched at the start of October 2023, and is running until the end of March 2024. It consists of advertising appearing on catch-up television, social media, radio and online, to highlight the amazing work that staff across the adult social care sector do and motivating suitable candidates to apply.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle overcrowding in Bolton South East constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are committed to reducing overcrowding by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of permitted development rules on the commercial performance of telecommunications companies that have built networks under those rules.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring gigabit broadband is available across the country as soon as possible. To support this, we are working to support efficient network deployment and promote market competition in a variety of ways. Permitted Development Rights for telegraph poles form part of this strategy, enabling operators to deploy their infrastructure without costly and disruptive roadworks, increasing the speed of rollout, and increasing competition and consumer choice.
Separately to the Permitted Development Rights regime, we have introduced a number of changes to legislation aimed at making it easier for operators to upgrade and share the use of existing infrastructure, reducing the need for future installations. These measures came into force in February and April of last year and we will continue to promote their use and monitor their impact.
Since the Permitted Development Rights regime forms part of a wider deployment strategy and legal framework, it would be extremely difficult to assess the impact of that regime on the commercial performance of operations in isolation. Furthermore, while creating the right environment to attract investment is a key pillar of our strategy, we do not set operational targets for commercial projects which are privately funded and managed.
DSIT is looking closely at the way operators install fixed networks and as part of this, will consider whether additional guidance is needed.